Valtteri Bottas says Cadillac’s new facilities are already better than those at Mercedes. The Finnish driver made this bold claim while speaking to the Financial Times. He drives for the new American team that has yet to score a single point in their first Formula 1 season. Yet he insists the hardware and the team operation show real signs of life.
Bottas spent years winning races with Mercedes, scoring all ten of his grand prix victories for them. He knows exactly what a world champion factory looks like because he worked inside one. Now he sees something different at the new team based partly at Silverstone. The location sits just a short distance from the old Mercedes factory in Brackley.
The Gap in the Factory
When asked if his new team has better shops than the world champions, Bottas did not hesitate. He told the Financial Times, “I would say so.” That is a massive statement coming from a driver who knows the old setup inside and out. It suggests the new money and new focus have built something superior very fast.
Progress is not always shown by points on the board. Sometimes it shows up in how the crew works together. Bottas told the Financial Times, according to RaceFans, “We are definitely seeing an improvement somewhere every weekend.” He added that the change is visible in team operations even if the results are not there yet. The team needs to fix the car speed, but the foundation is solid.
Why Results Lag Behind
It is hard to believe a team can have better tools but no points. Cadillac has not scored in their debut season. But Bottas says the internal work is getting better week after week. He notes, “It’s not necessarily in the results yet, but it’s in how we operate as a team in different areas.” The driver knows the difference between a broken car and a broken process.
Mercedes won many titles with him, so he has high standards for comparison. Between 2017 and 2021, he drove for the world champions. If he says the new place is better, you should listen. The facilities might be the first part of the puzzle to fall into place before the engine catches up.
The road to success in Formula 1 is long and full of headaches.
