Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez branded 'rusty' by key Cadillac figure

Cadillac F1 drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez have been branded "rusty" by team director Mario Andretti.

Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, serves on the board of grand prix racing's newest team, which has performed well during its first three weekends, although it has yet to score a point. 

Both drivers have returned to the grid in 2026 after sitting out 2025, after losing their Stake and Red Bull seats, respectively, following the 2024 season, although Bottas did conduct some F1 running in older machinery during his stint as the Mercedes reserve driver.

Between them, Bottas and Perez have 533 grands prix worth of experience and are the third-most experienced driver pairing in F1 history, only behind Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll on 620 and Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on 557. 

However, Andretti, himself a veteran of 128 starts believes the Finn and Mexican are "rusty" as they begin their comeback season.

"The main thing that really interests me is, I want to hear from the drivers, and that’s really what it’s all about," Andretti said on the Driven to Wynn podcast prior to the Japanese GP. 

"To be honest with you, I think they’re both just a little bit rusty. They’ve both been out of the cockpit for at least one season.

"With the new package and everything else, they’re being very careful, you know, just to participate, and not set anything back by maybe going out there and creating more work that’s needed.

"But the initial comments, clearly, I think we’re lacking some downforce, especially rear stability. That’s what I keep hearing from both of them and things like that.

"And the other side is to totally try to understand how to take advantage of the power unit for what the delivery is, between keeping the battery charge and all that sort of thing.

"But that’s not only the problem that we have. We’re not the only ones who have that issue.

"Outside of, say, Mercedes and Ferrari, it seems like everybody else is searching deeply for how to really maximise their situation.

"As a driver, I think, to be able to extract everything out of the chassis itself, now, all of a sudden, you’ve got to relearn how to use the throttle, how to use everything.

"So I’m not sure I am envying the drivers at the moment. I’m almost happy that I’m on the sideline."