Bottas says Cadillac’s F1 facilities beat Mercedes’ Brackley base

Asked by the Financial Times whether Cadillac’s new facilities were better than those at Mercedes’ Brackley base, Valtteri Bottas said he believed they were. Bottas spent five seasons with Mercedes, from 2017 to 2021; all 10 of his Grand Prix wins came in that period alongside Lewis Hamilton.

The comparison is about facilities, not on-track performance: after 17 races in its debut season, Cadillac remained without a point, while Bottas had retired from eight races.

Cadillac’s new manufacturing facility in Silverstone is operational, while construction continues on its American installations. Its US headquarters is going up in Fishers, Indiana, and powertrain work is based in North Carolina.

Bottas says the team is improving in some area each weekend, although results have yet to reflect it. He says problems in practice or qualifying can leave Cadillac fixing issues instead of focusing on performance and making the car faster.