Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will be the drivers of Cadillac’s Formula 1 team when it joins the grid in 2026, it announced Aug. 26.
Perez will be in the No. 11, while Bottas will drive the No. 77.
“From the moment I began speaking with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, I felt something different – something ambitious but also grounded,” Bottas said in a team release. “This isn’t just a racing project; it’s a long-term vision. It’s not every day that you get a chance to be part of something being built from the ground
up and helping shape it into something that truly belongs on the F1 grid.
“I’ve had the honor of working with some of the best teams in the world, and I can already see the same professionalism and hunger here. This is an iconic brand with a big legacy in American motorsport, and to be a part of the story as it enters the world stage of F1 is incredibly special for me. I’m looking forward to representing the American spirit of racing on the greatest circuits in the world. I’d also like to thank Mercedes for their unwavering support and sportsmanship in facilitating
such an exciting step.”
“Joining the Cadillac Formula 1 Team is an incredibly exciting new chapter in my
career,” Perez added. “From our first conversations, I could sense the passion and determination behind this project. It’s an honor to be part of a building a team that can develop together so that, in time, we will fight at the very front. Cadillac is a legendary name in American motorsport, and to help bring such a fantastic company to Formula 1 is a huge responsibility, one I’m confident of taking on.
“I’m proud to be part of such an ambitious and meaningful project from the very beginning. I’m really pleased to be part of such a dynamic lineup, and together I believe we can help shape this team into a real contender, the team of the Americas. We’re counting on support from across the continent – and we want to make everyone proud.”
“Signing two very experienced racers like Bottas and Checo is a bold signal of intent,” Team Principal Graeme Lowdon said. “They’ve seen it all and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1. But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team.
“Their leadership, feedback, race-hardened instincts and of course their speed will be invaluable as we bring this team to life. A big thank you to the team at Mercedes for their cooperation and understanding.”
Perez last competed in F1 in 2024, finishing eighth in points for Oracle Red Bull Racing. He has six career wins in the series.
Bottas, meanwhile, has 10 victories and last competed in 2024 for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, though he has also been a reserve driver for Mercedes and a test driver for McLaren this season.
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Hamilton is finding out F1 is more about the car and team than the driver.
I like it. Two established veterans who have a history of success, to hopefully help Cadillac get up to speed over the next few years. These guys know what a fast car should feel like, and likely will have some insights as to how to get there. This is very much the pinnacle of motorsport, so any path to the top will not be easy for Cadillac.
Until driving for Red Bull, in a car it seems no one on the planet not named Max Verstappen can make competitive, Checo consistently outperformed any equipment he was in.
As for Bottas, though he was never able to quite match Hamilton in the Mercedes, he was seldom far off Hamilton’s pace, in a time when Hamilton was the dominant force in F1.
Hopefully, if/when Cadillac gets up to speed with the field, an American is ready to have a shot in one of the two seats. Right now, Jak Crawford may be the closest thing, though it seems he is not quite to the needed level just yet. I heard so much about Colton Herta getting an F1 ride, but I’ve never seen performance to match the rhetoric. He’s not even atop the points within his own team in 2025.
So, unless Crawford can make a small leap in performance, I just don’t see an American on the horizon for F1. At least Checo is quite popular internationally, and Bottas isn’t without his own cadre of fans.
And really, I don’t think driver nationality matters much in F1. Put drivers in the seats who can win. The last time I recall the championship driver and team being of the same nationality was Brawn GP with Jenson Button, though there may have been one in there since.
How underwhelming. No Andretti, no american drivers, 2 number 2 drivers.