Team Talk: A chaotic Sunday at Sepang

Cadillac

Sergio Perez, 19th

“It was a very hard race today. We thought it was going to dry up a lot quicker than it did, but from the first lap I realised it was really difficult to keep the car on track.
“We made the decision to pit and, on the intermediates, the car was actually quite competitive and we were closing the gap to the cars ahead. We managed to put a great gap on the cars behind, so the strategy was looking good at that point.

“Unfortunately, the Safety Car came out and bunched the field back together, which took away the advantage we had built and changed the picture of the race. It was a very challenging race and the feeling in the car was difficult at times. Some cars had a software-related issue at the beginning, which affected the running, and I understand this is something the FIA is looking into closely. I’m sure we’ll learn from it and take those learnings forward into the future races.”

Valtteri Bottas, DNF

“It was always going to be a risk starting on the slicks with the soft tyre compound and today, it didn’t quite pay off. When the race started and I saw how fast the cars with the tntermediate tyres went through, you quickly realise the situation you’re in. We thought the track would dry quicker, and we thought it was worth trying something, but in the end it didn't work out. I took some risks trying to keep up with the pack and in the end it was my mistake that ended our race and I can only apologise to the team for that.”

Marcin Budkowski, Team Principal

“Today was a challenging race and a new experience for the team with our first wet running of the season. We took the decision to start both cars on slicks after the red-flag restart, hoping the track would improve quickly, but the conditions ultimately made the intermediate tyres the better choice. Valtteri unfortunately lost the car at Turn 13 and had to retire early, while Checo brought the car to the finish and collected some valuable data for us. There is a lot for us to learn from today, particularly around tire behavior and car set-up in these conditions, and this experience will be important for the races ahead. We will regroup quickly and look forward to Singapore next weekend, which will present a different challenge.”