Will Cadillac Announce F1 Drivers Before Summer Break?
Jul.15 - The driver 'silly season' for the 2026 Formula 1 season is revving into a high gear.
Some see Christian Horner's shock sacking as a desperate move by Red Bull to retain Max Verstappen, although reports he met with Toto Wolff in Sardinia this week have proved wide of the mark.
Nonetheless, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher senses the quadruple world champion really may make the switch.
"We are hearing now that the Mercedes management is showing a lot of interest in Verstappen," he told Sport1.
"I think if they show him that they will do everything for him to come, he will make the move, because he really wants to win and needs something new for that now.
"The problem is that he is with a team that has done everything for him, and it is not easy to give up something like that," Schumacher added.
"I still think something will happen after the summer break. I can't imagine he will stay because I suspect Red Bull will need three to five years to rebuild everything and be at the top again."
If Verstappen does depart, the brother of his girlfriend Kelly - Nelson Piquet jr - thinks it is obvious the Dutchman will be paired with Kimi Antonelli.
That would make George Russell at Red Bull a possibility - probably to be paired with Isack Hadjar.
The New Zealand Herald newspaper reports that with Hadjar likely to be promoted, it is therefore "increasingly likely" that Liam Lawson will be retained by Racing Bulls.
Lawson's rookie teammate would then be Arvid Lindblad, who after receiving his FIA super license at the young age of 17 is now regularly at the wheel of Red Bull-owned F1 cars.
The British-Swedish youngster made his F1 practice debut for Red Bull Racing at Silverstone. "Lindblad was back in the car the week after the Silverstone GP," advisor Dr Helmut Marko revealed to Speed Week.
"He completed more than 100 laps and demonstrated excellent physical condition and competitive lap times."
Meanwhile, amid rumours that Sergio Perez may already have been quietly signed, Auto Motor und Sport reports that Cadillac is expected to announce its first driver for 2026 "before the summer break".
Valtteri Bottas was photographed in conversation with team boss Graeme Lowdon during the British GP weekend, while several younger drivers including Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti and Mick Schumacher have all been mentioned.
"Bottas, Schumacher, and Drugovich held talks with Cadillac officials on the sidelines of the Silverstone weekend," correspondent Michael Schmidt revealed.
"However, no contracts have been signed yet."
Schmidt notes that at least one signing is "urgent", given that only inexperienced American drivers have so far been used in the simulator.
"Indycar driver Colton Herta is only a candidate once Cadillac has established itself in Formula 1," he said.
Cadillac is believed to want to kick-start its on-track preparations with experienced drivers. "For the so-called TPC tests, Cadillac will receive a 2023 Ferrari from its future engine partner," Schmidt revealed.
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I still believe that Horner's departure means Max will stick to his commitment rather than leave after this season.
Lawson would indeed almost certainly remain at VCARB as having two rookies for a season with big technical regulation changes would be unideal & Lindblad will almost certainly start to race in F1 full time from next season, albeit his test runs have nothing to do with the super license matter because super license requirements only apply to official GP weekend sessions rather than private tests that don't even feature other drivers circulating simultaneously.
Regarding Cadillac, one thing can be safely assumed & it's that at least one of the Perez-Bottas duo will drive for them next season, if not both, & a site titled 'F1 Oversteer' reported following the British GP weekend that many people in the paddock believe Zhou getting hired is almost certain, but we'll see.
Of course, Cadillac has talked with more or less every single driver who currently holds a valid super license, which is perfectly normal for any team.
Still, the realities are that some drivers have a concrete chance & some don't, not to mention Jak Crawford is one driver people shouldn't entirely ignore, given Cadillac's obvious American driver desire & he's the only such driver who can reach super license eligiblity this year (which will likely happen at the current rate anyway), so he's at least a dark horse option & so is Tsunoda, if not any better, given his uncertain future.
"Indycar driver Colton Herta is only a candidate once Cadillac has established itself in Formula 1,"
The only problem is that he can't first race elsewhere in F1 as long as he doesn't even become super license eligible.
Finally, the part about TPC running is interesting & somewhat surprisingly, Ferrari will seemingly loan a SF-23 to them for the purpose, even if the car will be re-painted with Cadillac livery design.
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