2026 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX — SPRINT RACE & QUALIFYING REPORT
May 23, 2026 — Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal — The Cadillac Formula 1® Team achieved its best on-track result to date in today’s Sprint Race at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada.
Following a competitive race solidly in the midfield, Checo Perez passed the flag in 11th position overall, which later became 14th following the application of a post-race penalty. Valtteri Bottas had a more challenging race following a start from the pit lane and finished 17th.
The later Qualifying session saw Checo put the MAC-26 20th, just ahead of Valtteri in 22nd, for tomorrow’s 70-lap Canadian Grand Prix.
RESULTS Checo Perez: Sprint Race Started: 16th, Finished: 14th, Fastest Lap: 1:16.641 Qualifying Position: 20th Q1: 1:15.429
“The Sprint race this morning was incredible – it was a really top performance from the team. It was a great strategy to go on the Softs. We got it wrong in Miami, but today we showed we were on the right tire, made some good calls and were defending well. It’s a shame about the penalty, but regardless, it was a great performance and we had a lot of cars behind – I'm really happy with that race. Qualifying was tougher and once everyone puts their pace together it shows a clearer indication of where we are. We didn’t maximize the session and had a bit of a problem with the ride following a set up change, so it was difficult to get a lap in. Tomorrow’s race will be quite interesting – we will look to pick up any opportunity we can.”
Valtteri Bottas: Sprint Race Started: Pit lane, Finished: 17th, Fastest Lap: 1:17.212 Qualifying Position: 22nd Q1: 1:16.272
“Not the ideal Qualifying session as I was hoping for a lot more but had a lock up into Turn One, so my mistake, and that was the first lap of the second run, so that ruined the run. The cloud cover and the track temperature dropping meant it was trickier to get the tires in the right window. It’s difficult to say how much there was to be gained but certainly quite a bit of time. We've been chasing the setup all week, so it's been busy in the garage. We used the Sprint Race as a test and put everything we’ve learned together for the Qualifying setup. It wasn't meant to be today, but we’ll try again tomorrow.”
Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal
“There’s a lot of positives to take from today. We had the confidence to make a bold strategic call in the earlier Sprint and Checo was able to race competitively. Valtteri had a harder time, but Checo’s P11 over the line shows when everything comes together we can be in the mix of the midfield. We couldn’t replicate the form in the later Qualifying, but tomorrow’s weather looks unpredictable so we need to trust our ability to make the right calls, keep focused and take advantage of any opportunities that come our way.”