Cadillac F1 Rumours Receive Sharp Rebuttal from Indycar Star
Jul.18 - Indycar star Pato O'Ward has scoffed at speculation he is high on Cadillac's list for its new-in-2026 Formula 1 team.
Team bosses Graeme Lowdon and Dan Towriss have been open about their recent talks with drivers, including Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, and others.
Rumours of American stars, however, have subsided.
"I don't think they'll take a US driver because the risk is simply too great," former Haas boss Gunther Steiner told RTL.
"Those guys have no experience in Formula 1, and then it can quickly backfire. That doesn't help anyone."
However, while Colton Herta may be out of the running for now, and Alex Palou has ruled himself out, lingering rumours connected Mexican Pato O'Ward with Cadillac.
He is under contract to McLaren's Indycar team.
"I wouldn't like it," McLaren CEO Zak Brown said when asked if he would release the 26-year-old, "but I wouldn't stop him."
Cadillac F1 ambassador Mario Andretti even joked recently that he might need to "fight" McLaren to extricate him from his contract.
O'Ward now tells the Mexican platform Medio Tiempo: "That was pure smoke and mirrors.
"I think the rumour about me moving to Cadillac is like the one about Fernando Alonso dating Taylor Swift," he laughed.
The latest reports suggest axed Alpine racer Jack Doohan might be an option for Cadillac, while Mick Schumacher has been linked with a seat for months.
"I think Mick has a good chance," said Steiner, who ousted Schumacher at Haas at the end of 2022.
"Cadillac needs a driver with Formula 1 experience, and there aren't many drivers currently who don't have a job but have driven in Formula 1," he added.
"Mick is also a very nice person and has learned a lot about a good, large team," said Steiner, referring to Schumacher's subsequent work as reserve driver at Mercedes.
"This knowledge of how a successful team works could help Cadillac."
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Pato O'Ward made clear on a separate occasion earlier this year that he'd only start racing in F1 if it were for a top team, which is fully understandable in his career situation, although I doubt Cadillac would need to fight for his services, given Bortoleto's case.
''I think Mick has a good chance'' - says the person who essentially ousted him.
People have been hell-bent to think he'd have a concrete chance, but realistically, he's low down a 'long' list of candidate drivers, which could be up to 20 or even nearing 30, given how many drivers have a valid super license, & others who might've offered themselves at least once, including some current reserve drivers such as Hirakawa or Aron, for example.
Yes, Doohan has also been mentioned occasionally, but the likelihood of him getting a drive is also low.
Either Perez or Bottas, if not both, getting a drive is safe to assume & based on an article on a site called F1 Oversteer shortly after the British GP weekend, many people in the paddock believe Zhou getting hired is almost certain & I assume that claim is based on sources close to him or Cadillac, if not both, but we'll see.
Unnecessarily many contradictory claims & reports over time.
I wouldn't take anything Steiner or Ralph Schumacher says to the bank, but Steiner may be onto something with Mick. I don't see how Zhou can appeal to an American audience. He has shown himself to be capable of not crashing, but this was achieved by going very slowly. Mick wanted to demonstrate speed in a bad car when he crashed, and put in some decent performances when the car couldn't score points. He was particularly good in defence - something the current grid seems clueless about (Alonso and Max excepted). He was fast and didn't crash at Le Mans, unlike many other drivers. For Mick, even the reserve role would be a step up.
I Don't see how Cadillac has many options, particularly as there may be an Alpine seat to fill (which may be a priority for the two main candidates). Zhou had plenty of time in F1 and didn't do a lot. In his time in F2 he was overshadowed by drivers who didn't make a mark in F1 or didn't even make it there. Goatifi, de Vries, Mazepin. Why not go for GOAT and bring Latifi back instead? Yes, Zhou showed he can be a solid team player, but is that enough? There was never any speed demonstrated in F1. I took a look at F1 Oversteer and it looks far from an authoritative source. They're reporting on every half story like much of the F1 media.
Cadillac will take Pérez or Bottas if Checo goes to a different team (e.g. if Colapinto is dropped). Considering Tsunoda could leave F1 and Lawson is struggling too, that would leave five seats to be filled next year. Lindbald seems destined for the Racing Bulls seat. Does Red Bull drop Lawson and bring in an experienced driver, or keep Liam and promote Hadjar?
Pure speculation...
Bottas - Alpine or Red Bull (if Lawson is dropped)
Pérez - Alpine or Cadillac (if Bottas goes to Alpine)
Mick - Cadillac
Tsunoda - Cadillac (if Lawson is dropped; I'd prefer Magnussen or even Vettel, but they don't seem to be options)
Zhou - he must be far down the list. He's already a Ferrari reserve driver so he may as well stay there rather than go to Cadillac as a reserve.
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