Cadillac hasn’t turned a wheel in anger yet, but its 2026 driver puzzle is already the story everyone in the paddock keeps circling back to — and Juan Pablo Montoya has a blunt blueprint for how the American newcomer should play it.
Speaking to AS in his native Colombia, the former McLaren race winner said Cadillac should front-load experience, then pivot fast. In short: sign two proven F1 hands for year one, but only lock one of them in beyond that. “Commit one for two or three years and the other for one year,” Montoya said. “Then start looking for someone younger who can be more of a future for them.”
On names, he didn’t dance around it. Montoya reckons Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas would be the “ideal pair” to start the project — with Perez the one to tie down for longer. “Of the two, Checo. I think Checo would fit them a little better with the profile and everything,” he added, while noting Bottas’ outright speed. “Valtteri is very fast and can be faster than Checo, but Valtteri is very emotional; it depends on the day.”
Cadillac, confirmed as Formula 1’s 11th entry for 2026, hasn’t announced either driver. But the market is moving. PlanetF1 reports Perez has reached an agreement to return to the grid with the team, with an announcement pencilled in for Monza. That would end a frustrating year on the sidelines for the Mexican, who departed Red Bull at the end of 2024 and found the 2025 doors already shut.
Should Perez be unveiled, the second seat remains open season. Bottas — a 10-time Grand Prix winner with Mercedes — has been strongly linked, while a queue of candidates with varying CVs has formed: Zhou Guanyu, Mick Schumacher, Jack Doohan, F2 champion Felipe Drugovich and McLaren junior Alex Dunne have all been mentioned.
Montoya’s logic is hard to fault. Year one of a new team is about reference points and clean feedback loops, not rookie rough edges. After that, you want upside and a pipeline. It’s the path Toyota never quite nailed and the one Haas only halfway followed. Get the baseline with battle-tested hands; inject youth once the walls stop shaking.
There’s also a human element here. Perez, with a deep bank of development experience and a calm touch on Sundays, fits the “franchise driver” idea for a manufacturer-led project. Bottas brings surgical qualifying pace and a reputation for detail. If motivation is where Montoya draws the line on the Finn, that’s a box Cadillac will need to tick early.
However it lands, the clock’s ticking. With 2026 looming and the 2025 season in full flow, Cadillac’s first big calls will set the tone. Montoya’s plan? Sensible, sharp, and exactly the kind of pragmatism a start-up needs before it starts dreaming big.
