Mario Andretti cut through the rumor fog with a simple ask: only trust what Cadillac says. As speculation swirls around the fledgling team’s first Formula 1 lineup for 2026, the 1978 world champion — now on Cadillac’s board — urged patience while the paperwork catches up.
“Just believe what we communicate,” Andretti told Swiss outlet Blick, as talk intensifies that Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are poised to front the American entry in its debut season.
Multiple reports indicate Cadillac has agreements in place with both drivers, though contracts aren’t signed yet. If — or more likely, when — it lands, the pairing would give the team plug-and-play experience from day one: 527 combined starts, 16 wins, and a deep understanding of how top-tier organizations operate.
Perez would return to the grid after his Red Bull stint ended in 2024, bringing six career victories and a reputation for race-day craft. The 35-year-old, who first arrived with Sauber in 2011, has long been considered a stabilizing force within developing teams — a point not lost on his former Force India boss Otmar Szafnauer. “If he finds the right environment… he definitely has something to offer,” Szafnauer told PlanetF1, adding that a new team “needs an experienced driver for the first couple of years.”
Bottas, meanwhile, is the quiet heavyweight in the rumor. Ten wins with Mercedes between 2017 and 2021, years of front-running pressure, and a technical calm teams love. After Sauber’s Audi-bound operation opted for Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025, Bottas shifted into a Mercedes reserve role — a holding pattern that now looks like it’s paying off. He turns 36 next season, same as Perez, which tells you exactly what Cadillac is targeting: mileage, feedback, and low-drama dependability.
Cadillac will start life with customer Ferrari power units and gearboxes for at least its first three seasons while General Motors builds out its own in-house engine project, currently aimed at 2029. GM has been staffing up on that front, underlining the longer game at play.
The Pérez–Bottas combo won’t set social media on fire like a blockbuster rookie signing might, but it makes a lot of sense. New teams need reference points more than headlines. And if Cadillac’s first job is to finish races, learn quickly and not trip over itself, this is a very grown-up way to begin.
The announcement? “In due course,” is the line. Until then, as Andretti said — believe it when Cadillac says it.
