Why Cadillac Played It Safe with Its F1 Driver Picks—and Why It Was the Right Call

There we have it. Cadillac’s Formula 1 driver line-up for its foray into the championship will be Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Between them they have 527 race starts, 16 victories, 106 podiums, three times runner-up in the championship, and experience of two title-winning operations.

Is it a little underwhelming? Yes. But is it the right choice for the team? Absolutely.

A visit last month to Cadillac’s nascent facility, spread across several buildings at Silverstone, underlined the progress that has been made, including the recruitment of experienced personnel, but also the long roadmap the team has ahead. Cadillac has large ambitions and deep pockets, GM is working on its own power unit for 2029, and has plans to have bases—including an impressive facility at Fishers—on both sides of the Atlantic. But these are long-term projects, and consequently, there is a steep curve short-term.

There is the caveat that new-for-2026 engine regulations could trip up a manufacturer—and lead to larger gaps—but Formula 1 has never been closer, and the existing 10 teams have never been stronger in terms of infrastructure, knowledge, and financial security. This year’s worst team, Alpine, has already scored 20 points, with four solid top 10 finishes. Haas, next worst, is on 35.

When Haas joined Formula 1 in 2016, and finished eighth of the 11 teams, it did so in a landscape where several teams were in a perilous state. Lotus (now Alpine) almost collapsed in the previous year, Sauber almost fell through, Force India was struggling and would eventually enter administration, and Williams was about to enter survival mode.

Manor, meanwhile, did collapse at the end of 2016. Liberty Media took over the championship shortly afterwards and Formula 1, and several of those teams, are now almost unrecognizable in a business sense nearly a decade on.

Cadillac boss Graeme Lowdon acknowledged that situation, pointing out that it would be borderline absurd if a new team appeared and could beat any of the existing 10 teams in the short-term. For 2026, and probably 2027 at least, Cadillac is expecting to be last in the championship.

Perez and Bottas are a safe pair of hands, plug-in-and-play drivers, who also still both have a point to prove after their respective departures last year. They can also get to work immediately and start being part of what will still be a very formative operation by the time the first race rolls around in Australia next March, when both will be 36.

They are veterans who will bring their vast experience of different teams, provide the required guidance and advice, develop working practices and relationships, and not get frustrated or downbeat at the performance issues, teething problems, or setbacks that are inevitable. Perez has never set the world alight across one lap, and Bottas has been far from the best wheel-to-wheel racer, but such elements are not yet critical for Cadillac. They know the circuits, they understand the sport, and they will recognize the limitations that they face.

It isn’t a terrible situation to have one driver who has spent six years at Mercedes, and the other who was four years at Red Bull. Their knowledge of smaller teams where efficiency was prioritized—particularly Perez’s experience of a Force India team that lived hand-to-mouth for a spell—will also help.

A young gun would be an exciting prospect but it would be an additional variable for a team that wants as few unknowns as possible. There will still be an opportunity to bed in a youngster—given the rules mandate four practice sessions are given to a rookie—but this can be part of the process much later in 2026.

Formula 1’s crop of rookies in 2025 have dazzled at times, but they have all had their down moments and frustrations—an expected situation, but not one Cadillac currently needs. It doesn’t need a young driver trying to impress to make their mark or further their careers.

The obvious headline signing would be Alex Palou and, yes, it would be a fantastic story. But why would Palou want to join a start-up outfit anyway? He’s a four-time IndyCar Champion with the talent, car, and timeframe to become the greatest ever. Why trade that in for a year of anonymous struggles at the back in Formula 1, with the prospect of maybe scraping a couple of top 10 finishes?

It would make no sense for team or driver, especially driver. Cadillac has also spoken of its desire to recruit an American driver but the timing is not yet right, and the list of viable candidates would be short.

The expectation is that Cadillac faces a huge challenge as it takes its initial steps in Formula 1, and long-term it can perhaps attract younger and fresher drivers. Yes, both Perez and Bottas were deemed surplus to requirements by their former employers after 2024 and their best years are in the rear view mirror. But for what Cadillac needs right now—and, more importantly, what it can get—it has the ideal line-up.