Perez accepts blame for Lap 1 crash with Bottas in Shanghai

Sergio Perez publicly accepted responsibility for a first-lap collision with Cadillac team-mate Valtteri Bottas at the Shanghai International Circuit, saying “that was all on me.” Perez said he misjudged a closing gap and called it “the worst feeling” after the closing door sent him into a spin; on team radio he later joked that he “needed a mushroom,” referencing Mario Kart and the effect of 2026 regulations and batteries on overtaking.

Reports described the contact as Perez’s front wheel striking Bottas’s sidepod at Turn 4, leaving a large piece missing from the left side of Bottas’s floor and briefly forcing Perez out of contention before an early safety car allowed him to rejoin the field.

The incident shaped the race outcome: Bottas recovered to finish 13th, Cadillac’s best result in its early campaign, and, along with Perez’s 15th-place classification as the last running car, marked the team’s first double finish in Formula 1 in only their second race. Perez later suffered power-unit problems that cost him roughly five seconds and then a further 15–20 seconds, contributing to his 15th place; Bottas said the Lap 1 collision nearly cost him his finishing position and described the result as a “proud one.” The double finish was aided by rivals’ DNFs and non-starts, and team principal Graeme Lowdon called the outcome a positive sign for Cadillac’s reliability. Despite the milestone and conciliatory public comments from both drivers, the intra-team contact raised concerns about Cadillac’s pace and potential internal friction: media analysis called the double finish a modest positive amid ongoing worries about reliability and lack of speed, and pundit Jolyon Palmer warned the incident would leave Cadillac “absolutely seething.” Cadillac has upgrades planned for the Japanese Grand Prix (April 27–29) and further work after the spring break ahead of the Miami race (May 1–3) to address performance deficits.