Cadillac Reveals Substantial Austria Upgrade Package as Rookie Team Targets First Points
Cadillac has confirmed a substantial upgrade package for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, headlined by new sidepods and a revised floor on the MAC-26. The American newcomers remain the only constructor without a championship point after seven rounds, and team principal Graeme Lowdon says the package is designed to continue a steady trajectory of closing on the midfield.
Cadillac Details Austria Upgrade for the MAC-26
Cadillac have confirmed a substantial upgrade package for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, with new sidepods and a revised floor serving as the headline items on the MAC-26. [1] The American outfit remains the only constructor yet to score a championship point after seven rounds, and the Spielberg round represents the team's clearest opportunity yet to bridge the gap to the tail of the midfield. [2]
Team principal Graeme Lowdon confirmed the scale of the work arriving this weekend, stating: "We are however pleased to be able to bring another substantial upgrade package this weekend. With new sidepods and floor it's a significant amount of work and we hope that it will continue our trajectory of steadily catching up to the midfield." [2]
A Season Built on Continuous Development
The upgrade is not an isolated event. Earlier rounds already saw the team introduce a rear wing and exhaust update in Monaco, followed by further rear wing and cooling improvements in Barcelona, where Sergio Perez qualified just 1.9 seconds off the fastest Q1 time and outqualified both Aston Martins. [2] Both drivers confirmed ahead of Austria that new parts were on their way, and Perez framed them as a step toward breaking into the points-paying positions. [4]
Tyre degradation has been the most persistent limitation on the MAC-26 in race trim. Perez identified that stints extending beyond fifteen laps have produced a sharp performance cliff, an area the team acknowledges but says requires a few more races to fully resolve. [3] Reliability has also been a concern on Valtteri Bottas's side of the garage; the Finn retired from two successive races due to separate issues, including overheating troubles in Barcelona. [1]
Context and Trajectory
Cadillac's closest brush with a top-ten finish came at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Perez crossed the line in tenth before a post-race penalty for a start infringement dropped him to fifteenth. [1] That result remains the clearest illustration of the team's pace progress across its debut campaign, even if the scoreboard still reads zero. [5]
:::analysis The pace of Cadillac's aerodynamic development across seven rounds is notable for a team building its F1 infrastructure from scratch. Each upgrade cycle has produced measurable qualifying improvements against a fixed reference point (the field). Austria's short, low-downforce layout will stress floor efficiency and mechanical grip more than most circuits, making the revised floor a particularly meaningful test of whether the team's simulation data is translating to real-world performance. The tyre-degradation issue, however, is a chassis and set-up problem that aerodynamic updates alone may not fully solve; sustained race pace in Austria will be a more telling indicator than Saturday's gap times. :::
Lowdon acknowledged the logistical pressures of a run of four rounds in five weekends that now faces the team, describing the challenge of delivering competitive parts to the track at this cadence as one of the defining tests of the current phase of the season. [2]
Related reading
[1]: Cadillac share details of 'substantial' Austria upgrade package, formula1.com, accessed 2026-06-23. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/cadillac-share-details-of-substantial-austria-upgrade-package-as-they-push-to-climb-order.61BTAA178bsnzoCch4EnZi [2]: Cadillac reveals "substantial upgrade package" for F1 Austrian GP, motorsport.com, accessed 2026-06-23. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/cadillac-reveals-substantial-upgrade-package-for-f1-austrian-gp/10832688/ [3]: Cadillac reveal significant upgrades for Austrian Grand Prix, crash.net, accessed 2026-06-23. https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1099263/1/cadillac-reveal-significant-upgrades-austrian-grand-prix [4]: Cadillac arrive with 'big package' for Austria as Bottas raises reliability concerns, planetf1.com, accessed 2026-06-23. https://www.planetf1.com/news/cadillac-targets-another-step-forward-with-big-austria-upgrade [5]: Cadillac – F1 Racing Team – Bottas, Perez, formula1.com, accessed 2026-06-23. https://www.formula1.com/en/teams/cadillac
- [1]Cadillac share details of 'substantial' Austria upgrade package as F1 newcomers push to climb order (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-23.
- [2]Cadillac reveals "substantial upgrade package" for F1 Austrian GP (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-23.
- [3]Cadillac reveal significant upgrades for Austrian Grand Prix (crash). Accessed 2026-06-23.
- [4]Cadillac arrive with 'big package' for Austria as Bottas raises reliability concerns (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-23.
- [5]Cadillac – F1 Racing Team – Bottas, Perez (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-23.