Cadillac F1 Snaps Up Bottas and Pérez for 2026 Debut

The nascent Cadillac Formula 1 team has signed out-of-work drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez to fill its driver roster for its debut 2026 campaign.

Bottas and Pérez were both sacked from their drives at the end of last season. while Bottas has reunited with Mercedes as a reserve this year, Pérez has yet to set foot in a Formula 1 paddock.

It’s a reunion of sorts. Bottas and Pérez were rivals in 2021, when their Mercedes and Red Bull Racing teams were locked in a tense battle for both titles.Bottas helped Mercedes to its eighth consecutive constructors championship. Pérez’s stern defence ahead of Lewis Hamilton in that year’s controversial Abu Dhabi decider played a critical role in keeping Max Verstappen within the Briton’s pit stop window at the safety car, which ultimately put him in a position to capitalise on the mishandling of the final laps.

Those days are long behind them, however.

Bottas had already been told he would be axed from the team before that infamous conclusion, and he followed up by spending three mostly miserable years at Sauber as it endured an interminable slide down the pecking order.

In his final year with the team, in 2024, he scored no points, comfortably his worst campaign in Formula 1, thanks to his woeful machinery, and he was replaced by Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025.

Pérez fared better, tho his fall was greater.

He kicked on in 2022 with 11 podiums, including a pair of wins, but finished third in the championship with a car that saw teammate Verstappen romp to his second title with four races to spare.

Things got worse in 2023.though he finished a career-best second,he stood on the podium just nine times despite driving the most dominant car in Formula 1 history. His tail-off at the end of the year was particularly alarming, with only two podium appearances after the midseason break.

A fast start in 2024 proved illusory, with the Mexican slumping to a miserable eighth in the championship after failing to mount the podium after the first five rounds.## Cadillac’s Driver Line-Up: Why Pérez and Bottas make Sense

Cadillac has confirmed sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as its drivers for the 2025 Formula 1 season, a pairing that prioritises experience over the pursuit of young talent.But why these two drivers?

Pérez, meanwhile, had four years with Red Bull Racing, during which time Milton Keynes won the teams title twice, including with the ultra-dominant 2023 car that set new records for success.

But his prior midfield experience is also valuable. Pérez spearheaded the Force India team – now Aston Martin – for seven years before joining Red Bull Racing, during which time he earnt a reputation for formidable racecraft, squeezing points and podiums out of machinery barely worthy of them.

He was also a race winner before arriving at red Bull Racing, having claimed a famous maiden victory in the 2020 Sakhir Grand prix.

That skill translated at Red Bull Racing, where he earnt the moniker ‘Mexican Minister for Defence’ for his wily driving.

While he petered out massively in his final year at Milton Keynes,the struggles of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda in his seat – plus revelations of chaos at the team,including Christian Horner’s shock dismissal earlier this year – have served to recontextualise his own difficulties.

The combination of championship-winning knowledge and proven speed and racecraft is rare to find on the driver market, never mind across two drivers, making Pérez an Bottas obvious picks.

Mercedes’ Finnish reserve driver Valtteri Bottas. Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

Pérez, meanwhile, had four years with Red Bull Racing, during which time Milton Keynes won the teams title twice, including with the ultra-dominant 2023 car that set new records for success.

But his prior midfield experience is also valuable. Pérez spearheaded the Force India team – now Aston martin – for seven years before joining Red Bull Racing, during which time he earnt a reputation for formidable racecraft, squeezing points and podiums out of machinery barely worthy of them.He was also a race winner before arriving at Red Bull Racing,having claimed a famous maiden victory in the 2020 sakhir grand Prix.

That skill translated at Red Bull Racing,where he earnt the moniker ‘mexican minister for Defence’ for his wily driving.

While he petered out massively in his final year at Milton Keynes, the struggles of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda in his seat – plus revelations of chaos at the team, including christian Horner’s shock dismissal earlier this year – have served to recontextualise his own difficulties.

The combination of championship-winning knowledge and proven speed and racecraft is rare to find on the driver market, never mind across two drivers, making Pérez an Bottas obvious picks.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE YOUNG GUNS – and the americans?

Cadillac sounded out several drivers before settling on Bottas and Pérez. Several were young guns.

Zhou Guanyu,the Ferrari reserve and former Sauber driver,was regularly connected to one of the seats. Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich was also said to be in the mix, as were Mick Schumacher and Alpine reserve Paul Aron.

Sauber is making a cogent argument for a combination of experience and youth this season. Nico Hülkenberg has become a regular scorer as the car has improved, but he’s being pushed hard by Bortoleto, who holds a small qualifying advan

Why Bottas and Pérez Chose Cadillac over Alpine

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez’s decisions to join Cadillac’s Formula 1 project in 2026 are raising eyebrows. It’s a bold move, choosing a brand-new team over established options.But it says a lot about Cadillac’s appeal and, perhaps more importantly, about the current state of Alpine.

Both drivers are experienced, capable racers. Pérez, despite a challenging 2023 with Red Bull, has proven he can win races. Bottas, while past his prime, remains a solid performer and a valuable team player.They didn’t pick Cadillac because it was the only option; they picked it instead of other options.

BUT CADILLAC WASN’T THEIR ONLY OPTION

While Bottas and Pérez’s signatures say much about Cadillac’s intent and outlook, where they chose not to sign is also telling.

Alpine has been heavily rumoured to have opened talks with both drivers this year about a seat in 2026 or earlier as the team wavered on its decision to drop Franco Colapinto into Jack Doohan’s seat after six rounds.

With neither Colapinto nor Doohan having scored so far this year – they’re the only drivers without points – Alpine finds itself anchored to the bottom of the championship.

Pérez was speculated to have been sounded out first, particularly given he comes with sponsorship backing that might replace the money Colapinto is reportedly attracting to the team.

More recently, however, Bottas became a notable target, with Alpine management talking to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff about the possibility of the Finn being released to drive later this season.

But neither Pérez nor Bottas has taken up the offer, choosing instead to race for a team that could be several seconds off the back of the pack next season.

It reflects poorly on Alpine.

There are some headline reasons why you’d pick the nascent Cadillac over the established Alpine.

The French brand is giving up its status as a works team to take Mercedes customer engines from next year, shuttering Renault’s highly decorated engine division in the process in a cost-cutting move.

Cadillac will start life with Ferrari power but will transition to its own in-house General Motors engine by the end of the decade. In other words, it’s moving in the opposite direction – in the direction conventional wisdom suggests is essential for success in Formula 1.