F1 Shakeup: Cadillac Eyes Bottas-Perez Partnership
Aug.25 - Cadillac looks set to reveal its first Formula 1 driver lineup, with strong rumours pointing to Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez for the team's debut in 2026.
Although Colton Herta had long been linked with the American entry, speculation now suggests the Indycar star will instead switch to Formula 2 next year in preparation for 2027.
"I've heard those rumours, too," Herta told IndyStar at the Milwaukee Mile. "That's all it is right now, is rumours."
Perez, dropped at the end of 2024 by Red Bull, brings substantial Mexican backing, with his father even hinting at a done deal on social media. Bottas, now Mercedes reserve, was also rumoured to have turned down Alpine in favour of Cadillac.
Cadillac ambassador Mario Andretti told Blick: "Only believe what we communicate."
Former F1 driver Christian Danner, however, agrees the likely solution is Perez-Bottas. "Honestly, I don't see Mick Schumacher happening, even though I would be happy about it," he told Express.
"The people in charge at Cadillac want a reliable solution, and those are Bottas and Perez. They're Grand Prix winners."
Schumacher is instead expected to move from Alpine to Cadillac's sportscar program, potentially doubling as F1 reserve.
Another name linked was Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich, with Fernando admitting to Marca that the Brazilian deserves better. "It would be fantastic to see him in F1. He has incredible talent.
"He's performed at the level the team asked of him, even with limited mileage. It will be interesting to see him with a permanent position."
One F1 fan comment on “F1 Shakeup: Cadillac Eyes Bottas-Perez Partnership”
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The most recent signs have indeed been pointing towards both Bottas & Perez, & hiring both of them is ultimately wise for a start-up team combined with considerable technical regulation changes.
Herta would have a better chance of becoming super license-eligible in F2 than in IndyCar, but even an F2 switch wouldn’t be a foregone conclusion in this regard, especially as he’ll again lose some license points once this year is over, which will only make matters more difficult.
Crawford will probably still be the best US driver option for them after two seasons or so, & I wouldn’t even be surprised if Cadillac hired him as their primary reserve driver for linear progression.
Both Mick & Drugovich have simply been overlooked team after team, & even if Mick switched from Alpine’s WEC team to Cadillac’s equivalent (still nothing official on this), he mightn’t necessarily become a reserve driver in their F1 operations anymore than at Alpine, not to mention he still wouldn’t have a chance to replace either Bottas or Perez due to their strong American driver desire, which means that only such driver will succeed as a full-time driver once the team is more mature.