Why Cadillac has already exceeded expectations in F1, according to Alex Jacques

Formula 1 commentator Alex Jacques has championed the new Cadillac F1 team for exceeding expectations in the first three rounds of the 2026 season.

The American outfit joined the championship in 2026 as the grid expanded to 11 teams. With the experienced driver lineup of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez under the leadership of team principal Graeme Lowdon, the team has already impressed, despite currently running 10th in the constructors' standings. 

Comparing Cadillac to Aston Martin, Jacques said it "sounds mad" to praise the Lowdon-led team when it is equal on points with the Silverstone outfit, having just given a damning verdict on Aston Martin's start to the year.

"It sounds mad that we're going to go to a team that's nearly as far back as Aston Martin, and then I'm going to praise them because I thought they would be miles off the back," he said during an F1 season start debrief video.

"And at the Japanese Grand Prix, which is a real test qualifying session, a real test of the car that you've built, they were not too far away. There were predictions in the paddock that they were going to be five, six, seven seconds off, that they weren't going to add anything to Formula 1.

"And that could not be further from the truth. They've made a really good start. And if they can show good development, they're going to be part of the actual race rather than referring to them as the new team in Formula 1, as we have been for a while."

Former F1 driver and F1 TV presenter Jolyon Palmer admitted he may have had "punchier expectations" for the team, pointing to the extensive experience of the personnel in the team.

Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing, Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images

"I think maybe I had punchier expectations than everyone else there," the former driver explained. "I have to say, they're not doing a bad job. They're absolutely solid, but they've been building up for this for a while. They've got some really good technical leads there.

"They've got Pat Symonds. They've got Nick Chester. So, they have got a lot of expertise within the team. It's not like everyone's learning about Formula 1. These are guys that have been around for decades. So, I didn't expect them to be completely rubbish when they turned up, and they're not.

"They're able to compete. They're able to go wheel-to-wheel for corners, just not laps or races with anyone else. They have to use this acceptable starting point, promising for a brand new team and add performance to the car.

"Add downforce, understand the power unit, use the skills of the technical minds that they've got, use the skills of the drivers - both race winners - the experience there because I think the start point is perfectly solid, but if you can't get to that midfield fight, then I think there'll be questions in the summer."