What We Know So Far About Cadillac’s 2026 Debut
Excitement mounts in Formula 1 as the grid prepares to welcome its newest team in 2026, the American team Cadillac. Under the guidance of team principal and long-time F1 veteran Graeme Lowdon, the team has been secretive about its process of selecting its drivers. While speculation from across the F1 community has highlighted many potential drivers for the fledgling team, Cadillac had only revealed that they were looking to sign the former Red Bull team Oracle driver, Sergio “Checo” Perez. That is, until Thursday, when the news broke that they had finally decided on a second driver, currently in reserve for Mercedes-AMG.
Cadillac has finally opened up about their second-seat consideration, the 35-year-old Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, who has been enjoying a relaxing season off the grid as the reserve driver for Mercedes-AMG following a departure from Kick Sauber. They are expected to finalize deals with both Perez and Bottas in the following days, a partnership that will bring a great deal of collective experience to a developing team. Having driven for some of the best teams on the grid, Perez and Bottas alike know what it feels like to drive at the front of the grid. Much like this season’s new partnership of Carlos Sainz with Williams, the benefit of running knowledgeable drivers is that they can provide high-quality feedback to their engineers to create a racecraft capable of taking them to the championship. Both drivers struggled in their last seasons before they exited the grid, so a fresh team that prioritizes them and their feedback is the perfect opportunity for a rebound.
Both drivers are also exceedingly popular among Formula 1 enthusiasts, sure to bring in a healthy fan base from the start of the 2026 season. At the Belgian Grand Prix in July, following news that Checo was making a return with Cadillac, fans could be seen in the grandstands showing support for the Mexican racer. On the Mercedes-AMG social media, Bottas has fostered a large audience that keeps up with his signature look and his non-racing activities. For Cadillac, especially as one of only two American teams, this could mean a significant amount of ticket and merchandise sales as fans flock to support their favorite drivers.
Not everything about this partnership is positive for Cadillac, however. After a crash in 2024 that found Bottas at fault, he will suffer a grid penalty upon his return. This doesn’t seem to worry Lowdon or the rest of the executives behind team Cadillac, as the need for experienced drivers trumps any one-time issues that arise from signing them. However, even as both drivers are expected to sign, no contracts have been finalized as of yet, meaning Cadillac could still look elsewhere if they settle on another driver that they feel would be a better fit for the team than Perez or Bottas. That said, Bottas now has the support of his current team principal at Mercedes-AMG, Toto Wolff, so the odds that he will make the switch are looking high.
