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Valtteri Bottas says Cadillac have solved MAC-26 brake overheating

Brake overheating has ended races for both Cadillac drivers this season, and the driver says peak front temperatures are now 100C lower.

By Sportsback
A Red Bull motorcyclePeachyeung316 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Valtteri Bottas has said Cadillac have cut front brake temperatures on the MAC-26 by 100C, a change aimed at the overheating that has ended several of the team's races. The figure comes from the driver rather than from a team statement.

The problem has been the most visible weakness of the car. Bottas was forced into retirement in Hungary, Monaco and at the Austrian round. The same overheating also put Sergio Perez out of the Red Bull Ring race.

Three of the retirements belong to Bottas, and the faults arrived at different circuits, which points to a persistent problem rather than a one-off failure.

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Why the retirements cost Cadillac

Red Bull Racing , Noida F1 2013Ank kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Bull Racing , Noida F1 2013

Losing a car to a brake problem is not like losing it to a collision. Retirements cut short race distance, and race distance is where a new team learns about its car. Four lost finishes across the two drivers is a heavy price for a single system, and it is the kind of weakness that follows a car from circuit to circuit until it is solved.

What the 100C figure means

Red Bull Racing celebration, Malaysia GP 2017Liauzh · CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Bull Racing celebration, Malaysia GP 2017

Bottas's account is that the 100C reduction removes the immediate cause of the failures. If that holds, the first evidence will appear in results rather than in lap times, with both cars reaching the flag instead of stopping early. A reliability gain of that kind does not automatically translate into pace, and nothing in the account so far presents the change as a performance upgrade.

What happens next for the MAC-26

The revised cooling would be measured over a full race distance at the team's next grand prix weekend. Cadillac have not set out when the change was introduced, how it was arrived at, or what further updates are planned for the car.

What is not yet known

Cadillac have not detailed what the change involves. It is not clear whether it carries a weight or aerodynamic penalty, whether it holds at circuits that work the brakes harder, or what it does for outright pace. The 100C figure has come from Bottas, and the team have not confirmed it.

For now the claim rests on the driver's word, and a race weekend is where it will be judged.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Valtteri Bottas retire in Hungary, Monaco and Austria?
Brake overheating on the MAC-26 forced him out of all three races, and the same problem has been one of the Cadillac car's major failings this season.
How much have Cadillac reduced their brake temperatures?
By 100C on the front brakes, according to Valtteri Bottas, who gave the figure rather than the team.
Was Sergio Perez affected by the brake problem?
Yes. The same overheating put him out of the Red Bull Ring race, the Austrian round at which Bottas also retired.
Have Cadillac confirmed the brake fix?
The team have not issued a statement setting out the change or the 100C figure, which came from Bottas himself.

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