Sergio Pérez encountered electrical issues during Friday's practice sessions for the Austrian Grand Prix.
What happened?
The Mexican driver missed significant track time due to the problems, which affected both practice sessions.
Impact on qualifying
Cadillac's chief technical officer, Nick Chester, stated that despite the setbacks, the team believes it can target a spot in Q2 during qualifying.
Sergio Pérez felt an improvement from the new parts in the little running he managed in the first practice session.
Upgraded car performance
The true extent of the progress remains unclear, but Chester says the new developments appear to have made the car more competitive.
On June 26, Valtteri Bottas had a strong start to Friday but then had his running curtailed by a dragging floor.
Challenges ahead
Pérez said he wants to start with the positive, which is that they seem to be closer, but unfortunately, running was very limited for him on Friday.
The team is working through the electrical issues, changing some components to ensure a clean day for FP3.
Outlook for FP3
Pérez hopes that tomorrow they will be able to find out where they really are and have a much straighter day.
Chester admits one issue was due to team execution while the other was down to reliability.
Reliability concerns
The floor on Valtteri's car had a build issue with the mid-front, which let the car down too far.
Pérez and the team will look to bounce back on Saturday, June 27, during FP3 and qualifying.
The Austrian Grand Prix qualifying is set to take place on June 27, with the race scheduled for June 28.
Cadillac is looking to make a strong impression with their upgraded car, and Sergio Pérez will be key to their success.