F1: Bottas, Cadillac and the suspension that failed in Mexico

After his crash at the Mexican Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas has explained what went wrong with his Cadillac in F1. According to The Race and RacingNews365, the left-front suspension failed at the first corner and the car went backwards into the barrier, deep in the run-off.

What happened in Mexico

The Finn says heat from the brakes transferred to the suspension wishbones. The wishbone mountings were the failure point. He describes a car that had been running "in the red zone" for too long, with temperatures too high, and admits the team had never tested the part for that long at that temperature.

Bottas says the car ran hotter than usual in Mexico: he had to manage more, lifting and coasting, and it still wasn't enough. On his health, he reports a muscle bruise on his right leg, which hit the steering wheel, and says he has no problem racing at Interlagos.

Cadillac's countermeasures

• a return to older specifications for the wishbone mountings
• lower temperature limits for the São Paulo Grand Prix
• ongoing stress tests at the Silverstone factory on the right-side suspension, to set more accurate limits on both sides

The sources give no temperature figures. Bottas expects these limits not to be an issue in Brazil, where braking and cooling demands are lower, with cooler weather and possible rain on Sunday. He rates Mexico as the hardest track of the rest of the season and says the car will need redesign work for the future.

His future at Cadillac

Asked about his seat, Bottas points out that he has a multi-year contract. He says his future depends on a board meeting involving co-owner General Motors, which has not yet taken place, and that as far as he knows nothing has changed. Cadillac and majority owner TWG have told him he is doing a good job. He argues that the problems of the team, a newcomer in F1, are bigger than those of the drivers. As a reminder, Sergio Pérez extended his Cadillac deal through 2029.

Brakes have weighed on the team's whole debut season, according to Bottas. The Brazilian Grand Prix will show whether the fixes hold.