Cadillac goes big on experience: Perez, Bottas confirmed for 2026 debut — but Villeneuve issues a pointed reminder
Cadillac didn’t blink. After months of noise, it’s gone straight for two proven operators to front its first crack at Formula 1 in 2026: Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. No rookie gamble, no patriotic punt. Just two drivers who’ve seen every corner of this sport and, crucially, know how to steer a new project without flinching.
On paper, it’s a shrewd, grown‑up move. Between them, you’re talking well north of 500 Grands Prix, multiple wins, on- and off-track development know‑how, and the sort of feedback loop technical teams crave when they’re piecing together a brand-new car under brand-new regulations. Big tick, then.
But if there was a reality check in the room, it came from Jacques Villeneuve. The 1997 World Champion put it bluntly: Cadillac needs the Bottas who helped drive Mercedes forward, not the one who’s faded in uncompetitive machinery.
“Experience is important when you’re a new team,” Villeneuve said on Sky Sports. “But there’s good experience and bad experience. Bottas, at Mercedes, was influential in moving the car on. At Sauber, it looked like he lost interest. If Cadillac gets the Bottas of Mercedes — great. Perez has wins and brings backing too.”
That’s the crux. Bottas at Mercedes was quick, collaborative and relentless, a high‑functioning No.2 who helped define a benchmark era. Bottas in the midfield hasn’t always looked like the same animal. Which version Cadillac gets in ’26 may determine how fast this thing gets off the ground.
Naomi Schiff echoed the logic of the lineup, while parking the idea Cadillac “had” to pick an American or a youngster for the optics. New teams are assaulted by unknowns; two drivers who’ve done different engines, different chassis philosophies and different factory cultures is a calmer way to live through the first 18 months.
“It’s the right decision,” Schiff told Sky Sports. “A brand-new entry has so many question marks. With two drivers who’ve worked at many teams, you get a huge bank of reference points. Fewer unknowns, more credibility, and likely more sponsorship interest. It makes the project look serious.”
The “serious” part is no small thing. 2026 will slam the reset button on car design with lighter chassis and an overhauled power unit formula. For a new entrant trying to define a baseline, understanding what “normal” feels like in different ecosystems can shorten a lot of painful learning cycles. That’s where Perez, with his Red Bull years and his earlier midfield leadership, becomes handy. He’s seen what a ruthless, title‑winning operation expects day to day, and he’s weathered the storm when the car isn’t wired to his style.
Lewis Hamilton, who did the hard yards alongside Bottas through Mercedes’ dominant run, offered a warmer — and telling — endorsement earlier this year. He called Bottas “one of the most honest” team-mates he’s had and “a genuine person to work with.” That matters when you’re building a culture from scratch. Development drivers who communicate clearly, park the drama and turn up every Friday aren’t glamorous headlines, but they are the foundation blocks of a proper race team.
Let’s be clear: this is not a lineup meant to dazzle on Instagram. It’s meant to write test plans, detect correlation drift, and grind. If Cadillac’s first car isn’t a top‑10 machine on pure merit, two veterans who know when to ask for a rear‑ride height tweak rather than a wholesale concept change will save months. And when the power unit and chassis teams start pushing updates through the pipeline, Perez and Bottas can stress-test them without getting lost in the noise.
Does it shut down the “where’s the American?” question? For now, yes — and on merit. The quickest way to set a tone is to score points early, not sell T‑shirts. There’ll be time later to romanticize a star‑spangled seat if the car’s good enough. First, Cadillac needs to arrive like it belongs.
As for expectations, the bar is where it should be for a newcomer: competent out of the blocks, dangerous by mid‑season if the concept lands, and opportunistic when chaos hits. Bottas rediscovering that Mercedes‑grade sharpness would be a massive swing factor. Perez, on the other hand, brings racecraft you can bank on and a calm head when strategy rolls the dice.
In the end, Cadillac’s first signature in F1 isn’t a flourish — it’s a line in the sand. Experienced drivers. Sensible decisions. Serious intent. If they’ve hired the Bottas Villeneuve is talking about, and the Perez who lives for Sundays, this project will move faster than most think. The rest is down to what’s waiting for them in the wind tunnel.
