I just read that Checo finished tenth in the recent Cadillac preseason tests in Bahrain. He was almost 9 seconds behind Leclerc, but the interesting part is that the Mexican driver is calm about the development of the car. He says the car's balance feels good and that they improved quite a bit in each session.

What caught my attention was his comment about what’s coming: they knew it would be a tough start because it’s Cadillac’s first year in F1. Checo emphasized that the most important thing now is how quickly they can develop from here on. Basically, they are racing against McLaren and Red Bull, so the challenge is massive.

At the end of the tests, Leclerc was the fastest of the day with Ferrari, followed by Norris in McLaren and Verstappen in Red Bull. Checo and his teammate Bottas have been helping identify improvements so the team arrives better prepared for Australia. They say that since they are new, they will need time, but they are already ready to start the season.