Bottas and Perez to race for Cadillac in 2026

Grand Prix of the Netherlands

Dates: 29-31-Aug, 2018 Start time: 14:00 BST on Sunday

Next year, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will compete for the new Cadillac Formula 1 team.

The two drivers, who were both dropped at the end of 2024, are now racing in the F1 grid.

The drivers’ success in F1 victories and podiums was the deciding factor, according to Mark Reuss, president of Cadillac’s parent company, General Motors.

Bottas and Perez’ selection was described as “a really good winning combination.”

Bottas, who turns 36 on Thursday, also recorded 20 pole positions and 10 victories for Mercedes, team-mates with Lewis Hamilton from 2017 to 2018.

The Finn is Mercedes’ reserve driver this year and the last Sauber raced in F1.

Before confirming this line-up, CEO of GM’s partner TWG Global, Dan Towriss, said Cadillac had thought about signing a promising and up-and-coming driver.

Towriss remarked, “What we need are their experience, leadership, and technical acumen.” Their confidence in us and this project has humbled us.

It was a difficult choice because there are a young pool of exiting and highly skilled drivers. However, these two drivers’ leadership stood out.

Bottas claimed in a team statement that Cadillac was “ambitious but also grounded”

He continued, “This is a long-term vision, not just a racing project.” Not every day do you get the chance to contribute to something being built from the ground up and making it a true F1 grid item.

“I’ve had the honor of working with some of the world’s best teams, and I can already see this level of professionalism and hunger.”

To be a part of the story as it enters Formula One’s world stage is incredibly special because this is an iconic brand with a significant legacy in American motorsport.

Perez continued, “I could tell the passion and determination behind this project right away from our initial conversations.”

As the team prepares for its debut season, Towriss claimed proven experience and ability in F1 was a more crucial factor than the team’s desire for an American driver in the future.

In June, Cadillac’s team principal Graeme Lowdon stated that they anticipate being “backmarkers” in their debut season.

“Imagine if you’ve been a part of a Formula 1 team for ten years before another team rocks up and defeats you. You’d be apoplectic, Lowdon claimed.

“You would be so enraged,” he said. And so you can safely assume that any new team will be the last one, because otherwise, you can’t tell what’s going on elsewhere.

Colton Herta and Josef Newgarden, both of whom had been linked to Cadillac, were also mentioned by Towriss, who pointed out that Herta had not received enough points on the FIA’s qualification scale to qualify for an F1 super-licence.

He continued, “The experience in F1 that carried the day is what matters.” Everyone on the team is brand-new and working together for the first time, despite their previous experience.