2026 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX — FREE PRACTICE REPORT
October 23, 2026 — Austin, Texas — The Cadillac Formula 1® Team began its second home race of the 2027 season at the United States Grand Prix with two Free Practice sessions today. American Driver Colton Herta took part in FP1 in Checo Pérez’s MAC-26, with Valtteri Bottas completing both sessions. Bottas finished P20 in FP1 before placing P19 in FP2. Herta successfully completed the team’s test program during the opening session, providing valuable feedback and data from his outing before handing the car back to Pérez for FP2 where the Mexican would finish P21. The Cadillac Formula 1® Team will return to the track tomorrow for the final practice session, FP3, at 12:30 local time, followed by qualifying at 4 p.m.
Checo Pérez:
FP2: P21, Laps: 24 (1:39.036)
“It was a busy session, especially given that I missed FP1. We had a lot to get through, including experimenting with a few different parts and setups on the car, so we learned a lot. One of the changes we made probably put us on the back foot for the rest of FP2, but we understand why and know what we need to do overnight to be in better shape tomorrow. The team has done a fantastic job, and Colton also provided some really useful feedback.”
Valtteri Bottas:
FP1: P20, Laps: 21 (1:39.053), FP2: P19, Laps: 24 (1:38.422)
“A productive Friday for us here in COTA with no issues. We were able to conduct some interesting tests with a couple of different front wings and various setups too. It's been a really smooth day that has allowed us to learn the best we can and try to find the optimal window.. It still looks like there is a bit of a gap to the others, so we’re going to do our best overnight to try and find something to help us improve.”
Colton Herta:
FP1: P21, Laps: 20 (1:39.979)
“That was fun. My first Formula 1 outing in my home country in front of all the American fans was a very special moment. We’ve got a lot of people here from Cadillac and GM, so it was amazing to be able to share that with them too. It’s been great to be back at COTA - it’s been seven years since I was last here when I won in INDYCAR, so it’s surreal to be back on track here, this time driving a Formula 1 car.”
Marcin Budkowski, Team Principal:
“Colton did a very solid job in FP1, completing our program and providing valuable data for the rest of the weekend. This was his third FP1 appearance and that growing familiarity with the car is helping him get up to speed more quickly and give increasingly useful feedback to the engineers.
“With Checo and Valtteri we ran our test items including the floor elements and that will prove useful for the future. We’ve had a positive day and we will work overnight to get ready for Quali tomorrow. At this track we need to focus on getting the best set up and optimizing the tire window.”