Bottas closing on Cadillac F1 2026 seat as Perez pairing firms up
Valtteri Bottas is on the brink of a full-time Formula 1 return with Cadillac in 2026, with an agreement in principle understood to be in place pending signatures. The Finn, currently Mercedes’ reserve after departing Sauber at the end of 2024, has been in steady contact with team boss Graeme Lowdon throughout this season and is now close to sealing the deal.
He wouldn’t be walking in alone. Sergio Perez is also believed to have reached terms with the American outfit, giving the incoming 11th team a hardened, points-harvesting pairing from day one. Neither driver has inked a contract yet, which insiders suggest is down to summer-break logistics more than second thoughts. Expect Perez to be confirmed around the Italian Grand Prix, with Bottas potentially unveiled even earlier, possibly over the Dutch GP weekend.
It’s a pragmatic route for a start-up. Between them, Bottas and Perez bring north of 500 Grand Prix starts, multiple wins, and tours of duty at title-winning operations. Bottas’ Mercedes stint from 2017–21 underpinned the team’s Constructors’ streak, while Perez’s Red Bull run coincided with championship years in 2022 and ’23. The numbers speak loudly: Bottas has entered 247 Grand Prix weekends with 1797 points; Perez 285 with 1638.
The driver market always finds a way to be theatre, and Bottas has played along. In June, he poked fun at the rumors with a video admiring the seats of a Cadillac SUV—two available, naturally—before quipping, “Not yet!” when invited to sit down. Behind the curtain, Mercedes has been supportive. Communications chief Bradley Lord called Bottas a “front-running candidate” for a 2026 race seat and left the door open for the Finn to remain involved if plans changed.
Lowdon’s approach clearly leans experience over promise. Felipe Drugovich was a serious rookie option at one stage, with Jak Crawford and Alex Dunne also believed to have been in the conversation, but a new entry facing fresh 2026 regulations will value known quantities, robust feedback and stable development mileage over raw potential.
Cadillac still has the heavy lifting ahead—structures to bed in, systems to iron out, and a car to turn from concept into competitor—but locking down two veterans this early would be a statement of intent. For Bottas, it’s the comeback he’s been angling toward. For Perez, it’s a new chapter with a big American badge. For the rest of the grid, it’s one fewer soft landing in a driver market that’s been anything but gentle.
