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Cadillac reached the summer break as the only team yet to score in 2026, with Bottas recording five retirements across the opening half of the season. His best result remains 13th at the Chinese grand prix, although the Finn insists the team has already made significant progress with its car, reliability and trackside operations. “We knew there was going to be challenges,” Bottas told F1.com. “There’s been a few races that we haven’t finished with technical issues. We knew that is possible and that is part of the learning curve. “The main thing is we just need to learn from those and move on. But otherwise, honestly, no big surprises. “I knew that we can improve throughout the year – we can see we have done. We’ve been able to pick up the pace [and] we’ve been able to get the car more reliable. “How the team operates, we’re getting better and better. It’s been a great journey so far, but there’s still a lot of work to do.” Bottas returned to a full-time drive this season after spending 2025 as Mercedes’ reserve following the loss of his Kick Sauber seat at the end of 2024. Cadillac selected the 10-time grand prix winner and Sergio Perez to spearhead its F1 debut, making them the first drivers to represent the American manufacturer. Developing its first car has been only part of Cadillac’s task, with Bottas also needing to build working relationships throughout a newly assembled organisation. While the team remains at the beginning of its long-term project, Bottas said its objectives for the remainder of 2026 were already clear. “We want to get to Q2,” he said. “That’s the next step and then we want to get points. That’s a pretty clear target for us. “We don’t want to finish the season without points. But how do we get there? We still need to make the car more reliable. We still need to make the car faster, but we’re working on it.” Cadillac’s reliability concerns were again exposed at the Hungarian grand prix, where Bottas was forced to use the pit entry wall to stop his car after a brake fire left him without braking power. The team had introduced revised brake cooling in an attempt to address the problems that had already affected several races, but Bottas began reporting trouble after only 10 laps at the Hungaroring. He headed towards the pits five laps later with the front-left brake on fire before scraping the Cadillac along the wall to bring it to a halt. “Once I realised something was wrong with the brakes, I wanted to bring the car back to the pits, but on the way back I lost all braking power – the brake lines must have burnt out,” he said after the race. “That’s why I had to drive the car into the wall.” “I hope we’ll have a solution in place for the upcoming World Championship race at Zandvoort after the summer break.” Despite the setbacks, Bottas believes the opportunity to help establish a new team will make any eventual success more rewarding. “I need to be patient because things will take time, but it’s encouraging seeing the progress behind the scenes and even sometimes with the car pace,” he told F1.com. “Overall, it’s just exciting and it excites me to think about the future. When you eventually get the results, it’s going to be so rewarding.” Despite entering his 13th season as an F1 race driver, the 36-year-old said he believed his strongest performances remained ahead of him when asked whether his current form represented the best version of himself. “I feel great in the car. I feel great out of the car so I would probably say so,” he said. “Every year, you gain so much more experience in the sport that you can give back more. But I think the best years are still ahead. That’s my feeling.” View this post on Instagram Since the Hungarian Grand Prix, Bottas has continued to push for success off the track, beginning the summer break by finishing fifth in the men’s 35–39 category at a 131km UCI Gravel World Series event in the Czech Republic. The result qualified him for the UCI Gravel World Championships after he contested the off-road race alongside his partner, Australian Olympic cyclist Tiffany Cromwell. “Whilst the others are relaxing on their boats. 131km UCI Gravel World Series @ Hlinsko. Finished 5th in Men 35-39, and qualified for the gravel world champs,” he said on Instagram. “Thank you for the huge support on the tough course yesterday. Loved it! Always nice to explore events like this together with Tiffany Cromwell.” However, Bottas appears unlikely to take part in the world championships, which will be held in Western Australia, because they clash with the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. He previously took part in the event in 2024, finishing 133rd in the men’s 35–39 category.