Cadillac make striking 'missing part' admission for Sergio Perez

Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon has openly conceded that Sergio Perez was "missing" a vital upgrade component that may have aided his cause in qualifying for the Miami sprint.

In front of their home crowd at the Miami International Autodrome, the team rolled out a virtually new car, in contrast to the spec on show in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix eight weeks ago. Amongst the updates were a new floor, front wing, diffuser and rear suspension.

Perez still out-qualified team-mate Valtteri Bottas by almost eight-tenths of a second, albeit missing out on a place in SQ2 by less than four-tenths. The duo will line up 18th and 20th on the 22-car grid.

An honest Lowdon said: “We brought a substantial aero upgrade package this weekend, which has translated to more load through the corners and ultimately more laptime on track.

"The upgrades were on both cars, although Checo was missing one part that may have added a little bit, but this will be rectified in rotation, agreed between the drivers and team."

Perez was additionally compromised in qualifying by another factor, with Lowdon adding, "He could potentially have made it to SQ2 had he got a second run.

"But, sadly, we missed this after visiting the weigh bridge. This was a missed opportunity, but we will learn from it, and it shows that we have made a step forward."

Perez points out problems

Perez declared himself happy with the team's progress and the car he had beneath him, but knows more could have been achieved but for the issues he encountered, as well as feeling he was further handicapped by the team.

“I was very happy with my lap in sprint quali, and the pace is promising, but sadly, I only had the one run," he said.

"At some points we were looking like we were going to make it to SQ2, which is already progress, but the priority now is to get on top of our issues.

"I only had one run as we went out too late and then didn’t have time to refuel and make a second run.

"In practice, we also lost some track time, so we are a bit on the back foot. When we get on top of this, we’ll be able to maximise the package, which is a step forward. We now need a smooth day tomorrow and see where we end up on Sunday.”