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Cadillac F1 team closing in on 2026 driver pairing

Cadillac is closing in on signing experienced pair Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez to form the driver line-up for its debut Formula 1 season in 2026, RACER understands.

The General Motors-supported team – part of the TWG Motorsports portfolio – has been preparing to join the grid next year, after finally receiving entry approval from the FIA and Formula One Management in March. Numerous drivers have been linked with the race seats, but team principal Graeme Lowdon had often voiced a preference for at least one experienced name for the team’s inaugural season.

RACER understands that after discussions with multiple drivers, the Cadillac F1 team has opted to prioritize experience in both race seats, with Bottas and Perez the intended pairing, and contract progress at an advanced stage.

Both drivers lost their seats at the end of l ast season – Bottas leaving Sauber and Perez dropped by Red Bull – but are set to bring a combined 527 grand prix starts and 16 victories between them to the newest team on the grid.

Perez (left) and Bottas, pictured here in 2021, would bring plenty of F1 experience with top-level teams. Steve Etherington/Getty Images

Bott as won on 10 occasions for Mercedes, while Perez secured five wins for Red Bull and one for Racing Point, and they mark the two most experienced drivers available who are currently not racing in F1. Cadillac had been analyzing a large number of drivers who had recent experience within current teams in either race or development roles, including Mick Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu, Jack Doohan, Franco Colapinto, Felipe Drugovich, Jak Crawford and Fred Vesti.

While Bottas has been serving as a reserve driver for Mercedes this season, Perez has taken a year out after having his Red Bull contract terminated early. Replacements Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have both struggled alongside Max Verstappen since Perez left, with Red Bull continuing a slide from competitiveness that started last year.

An announcement relating to the Cadillac driver line-up could come as early as next week, ahead of the resumption of the 2025 season at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.