Lowdon: Cadillac didn’t hire Bottas and Perez for nostalgia — they hired speed
Cadillac’s first Formula 1 line-up was never going to be a vanity project. Team principal Graeme Lowdon says Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were signed because they’re fast, first and foremost — the experience is a bonus.
The American marque will hit the grid next season, and it’s bringing two proven race winners to lead its debut. Between them, Bottas and Perez have more than 500 grands prix under their belts, Constructors’ title-winning pedigree and a filing cabinet full of hard lessons from the sport’s sharp end. That wasn’t the sales pitch, Lowdon insists.
“These guys are quick,” he said. “They’re not here just because of the number of races they’ve done. Experience matters, but these are two very, very fast race drivers.”
Timing helped. While much of the grid locked itself into multi-year deals ahead of the 2026 rules reset, Cadillac operated slightly out of phase and found a quieter market. Bottas was displaced when Sauber committed to Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, then took a reserve role back at Mercedes. Perez finished 2024 with Red Bull and was replaced by Liam Lawson for 2025. That opened the door for extended talks.
“We benefited from some stability in the market,” Lowdon explained. “It meant we could spend proper time with Valtteri and with Checo — and with others — to test our assumptions and make the right call, not just the quick one.”
Lowdon knows something about starting from scratch and the traps that come with it. He also knows 2026 will ask different questions of drivers, with all-new regulations demanding adaptability as much as outright pace. That shaped the brief.
“It wasn’t about finding two people who know where the paddock is,” he said. “’26 presents new challenges for drivers too. We took our time because it was an important decision, and we’re confident we’ve got a super-strong line-up. It feels right.”
There’s also the weight of the badge. Cadillac is not just another debutant; it’s a heavyweight brand arriving in a championship that rarely grants new slots. Putting two battle-tested winners in the cockpit signals intent — and sets the standard by which this project will be judged.
For Bottas and Perez, it’s a reset with clear upside: a clean sheet of paper, a major manufacturer behind them, and a chance to shape a team’s DNA from day one. For Cadillac, it’s a bet that experience plus speed equals credibility, quickly. The talking is done. Now they have to prove it.
