Cadillac ventured to US soil for the first time as a Formula 1 team with a prominent presence at the track and in downtown Miami, showing encouraging signs on-track.
The team battled with the Honda-powered Aston Martin team, with Fernando Alonso beating Perez to 15th place by just 2.5 seconds, highlighting the need for improvement in soft tire handling.
Cadillac introduced its first major upgrade package of the season, featuring updated front wing flaps and end plates, a new floor, new floor boards, and a new rear brake drum, which resulted in significant weight savings and aero upgrades.
The team's main weakness compared to Aston Martin was its inability to work the soft tire, while the MAC-26 also suffered from higher degradation on the harder tire around the smooth low-grip Miami surface.
Perez battled with the tail-end of the midfield during the early stages of Saturday's Sprint Race, providing further encouragement for the team's progress.
The high point results-wise of the weekend came during Sprint Qualifying, where Perez was only 19th but within three tenths of a second of making SQ2.
Despite operational delays and setbacks, the team showed resilience and determination in its efforts to improve performance.
With Aston Martin expected to continue improving throughout the season, Cadillac must prioritize addressing its weaknesses in soft tire handling and hard tire degradation to remain competitive.
The team's progress is a promising sign for its future success in Formula 1, but it still has a long way to go before achieving consistent results.
The team is making progress, but still needs to work on its soft tire handling and hard tire degradation.
