2026 SPANISH GRAND PRIX – QUALIFYING REPORT
September 12 2026 – Madrid, Spain – The Cadillac Formula 1® Team completed its first qualifying session at the new Madring Circuit ahead of tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Checo Perez qualified in P19 with Valtteri Bottas just behind in P20, starting ahead of Haas’ Oliver Bearman and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll who failed to set a time.
Both drivers will look to make progress in tomorrow’s 57-lap Grand Prix just outside the Spanish capital that will commence at 3 p.m. local time.
Checo Perez Qualified: P19 Q1: 1:35.913 “It's an amazing track and I’m really happy to be here. The atmosphere is incredible and I'm very happy with my qualifying lap. We were very aggressive with our program. I have to say a well done to the team. We maximized our package and further closed the gap to the Williams and Aston Martin teams ahead. Although it was not enough to progress into Q2, it was a really strong lap. The team has also been strong operationally, so I’m very satisfied with that. Tomorrow should present some opportunities to us, so we need to make sure we continue executing as we have been so far this weekend and I’m sure we can have a good race.”
Valtteri Bottas Qualified: P20 Q1: 1:38.011 “It’s been a tricky weekend for us. You always want to get the most out of the car and today we couldn’t quite get there. We know that we’re lacking in the high speed corners, and it’s a tough track as there are so many blind spots. I was the first car out in the beginning, but after that was compromised by traffic which was unlucky but sometimes that’s how it goes. We’ll go again tomorrow in the race and hopefully there will be some opportunities."
Marcin Budkowski, Team Principal “Madring is a great addition to the Formula 1 calendar and a big challenge for the drivers. Overall, it was a reasonable qualifying performance today. Checo did well to get the most out of the car. Valtteri struggled to adjust to the lower grip during the session and was improving although it is a shame that he was clearly impeded on his flying lap. “We are expecting that tomorrow will be a tough, hot and demanding race. It is a track which will test the tires and concentration. It will be important to stay out of trouble, execute cleanly and make the most of every opportunity.”