Cadillac Makes The Smart Choice By Taking Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas For Debut Lineup
Cadillac did the smart thing and opted for experience
One of, if not the biggest, pieces of the 2026 Formula 1 drivers' market puzzle has fallen into place with Cadillac announcing that the first two drivers to hop in their cars will be Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
And, honestly, this was always the clear-cut best option.
The team made one of the most anticipated lineup announcements in years with a slick video featuring actor and motorsports enthusiast Keanu Reeves, who is also working on a documentary about the team.
Both drivers were off the grid this season, with Perez out of Formula 1 entirely after several years at Red Bull and Bottas serving as Mercedes' reserve driver.
It's pretty ironic that Perez and Bottas — the wingmen to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, respectively, in the 2021 championship battle that was one of the most intense and controversial in history — are now teammates.
The duo combines for 16 Grand Prix wins (6 for Perez, 10 for Bottas), which makes them easily the winningest duo to drive for a brand-new team (not counting name or ownership changes) in their maiden season in at least the last two decades.
The team reportedly held discussions with numerous drivers, including Alpine sports car driver and former F1 driver Mick Schumacher, as well as current F2 title contender Jak Crawford.
There had also been talk of the team wanting an American driver. Crawford fit the bill in that respect, and there was always buzz about Colton Herta, who drives for IndyCar's Andretti Global, a corporate cousin to the Cadillac F1 team. However, he may not have even had the Super License points necessary to enter Formula 1.
So, the pairing of two experienced, race-winning drivers was always going to be a tough thing to turn down.
Cadillac Landed Its Best Possible Lineup With Perez And Bottas
Both Perez and Bottas have been in world championship-winning cars, and they've also been in some that handle like broken shopping carts. For Cadillac, this is a great thing.
That's because 2026 will likely be a development year thanks to a pretty big overhaul in technical and engine regulations. Having veterans who are comfortable in an F1 environment and can give constructive feedback on the car will help that development process.
This is important because some teams are bound to struggle with the new regulations, and that means Cadillac — who have all its focus on 2026 while some of their competitors are still developing their 2025 cars — has a shot to run in the midfield at the very least.
Sure, Perez struggled toward the end of his time at Red Bull, but that seems like it was increasingly due to a temperamental car, and Bottas' time at Sauber was rough for the same reason. A few tough seasons don't mean that these two can't drive, and based on their success and experience, Cadillac will join the grid with what is certainly a top-three or top-four driver lineup.
I like where this is all headed. They've got the resources, the drivers, and what should be some solid Ferrari power units, which they'll use until GM starts building its own in a couple of years.
I think this could very well be a team that can compete for points on most weekends.
Of course, this is on paper. We won't get a sense of how things are going until next year when Cadillac's F1 car hits the track for testing.