Cadillac has signed skilled pairs Valteri Bottas and Sergio Perez to type the driving force lineup for his or her 2026 debut Components 1 season.
The workforce supported by Basic Motors, a part of the TWG Motorsports portfolio, is getting ready to affix the grid subsequent yr after receiving remaining entry approval from FIA and Components 1 administration in March. Whereas many drivers hyperlink to the race seating, the workforce’s principal, Graeme Lowdon, usually expressed his desire for an skilled title for no less than one of many workforce’s first seasons.
The racers perceive that after discussions with a number of drivers, the Cadillac F1 workforce selected to prioritize their experiences in each race seats.
Each drivers misplaced their seats on the finish of final season – Bottas dropped Sauber and Perez to Pink Bull, however will convey a 527 Grand Prix begin and 16 wins to the newest groups on the grid.
Perez (left) and Bottas, depicted right here in 2021, will convey many F1 experiences with top-level groups. Steve Etherington/Getty Photographs
Bottas gained 10 instances with Mercedes, however Perez gained 5 at Pink Bull and one victory in race factors, marking the 2 most skilled drivers who’re presently not racing in Components 1. Cadillac has analyzed numerous drivers who’ve lately gained expertise inside their present workforce in race or growth roles, together with Mick Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu, Jack Doohan, Franco Colapinto, Felipe Dragovich, Jak Crawford, and Fred Vesti.
Bottas has been a spare driver for Mercedes this season, however Perez has taken a yr after his Pink Bull contract ended early. Alternate options Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have been battling Max Verstappen since Perez left, and Pink Bull continues to slip from the aggressive edge that started final yr.
An announcement in regards to the Cadillac driver lineup might come as early as subsequent week forward of Zandvort’s reopening of the 2025 season on the Dutch Grand Prix.
