After a rocky road to the world championship that involved sidelining Michael Andretti, Formula 1's newest team is trusting its first on-track campaign to experienced hands. The Cadillac F1 Team announced on Tuesday that it signed Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez to race for the team in 2026. The American team's debut lineup will have a combined 26 seasons of F1 experience and will likely be the oldest driver pairing on the grid. Both drivers will be 36 years old when next season begins in Australia.
Bottas and Pérez signed multi-year deals to drive for Cadillac. Both drivers spent recent spells at front-running teams in number-two roles to world champions: Pérez raced for four seasons with Red Bull Racing, finishing 2nd in the 2023 standings, while Bottas spent five seasons at Mercedes, finishing 2nd in the championship twice in 2019 and 2020 to Lewis Hamilton. Cadillac has made it clear that the team wants to build itself around this base of experience. Team Principal Graeme Lowdon said:
"Signing two very experienced racers like Bottas and Checo is a bold signal of intent. They've seen it all and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1. But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team."
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Veterans Rarely See The Same Success When Joining Upstart Programs
Signing experienced drivers is a proven strategy for upstart F1 teams acclimating to the championship's relentless crucible. However, the veterans are rarely around to see the success of their efforts. Red Bull Racing signed 2001 runner-up David Coulthard from McLaren for the team's debut in 2005. Coulthard would eventually step aside for Sebastian Vettel, who went on to win four world championships at Red Bull. Mercedes employed seven-time champion Michael Schumacher for its factory return in 2010. The German team signed Lewis Hamilton to replace a retiring Schumacher three years later. Hamilton won six of the following eight championships.
Only time will tell if Cadillac's efforts pay off with the team following in the steps of Red Bull and Mercedes. We don't even know if Bottas and Pérez will be around long enough to drive a Cadillac-powered F1 car. The fledgling team will use Ferrari power units until its own are already. The American manufacturer expects its power unit to debut in 2028. The team's customer status was a massive obstacle in getting its entry approved by Formula One Management.
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