Cadillac are coming to Formula 1 after General Motors secured a spot on the 2026 grid but, despite their significant resources, are still yet to announce the signing of a driver.
The GM-backed entry are one of the three teams currently without a single driver signed up for the 2026 F1 season along with Mercedes and Racing Bulls. Alpine and Red Bull also have at least one seat to fill for next year, with Franco Colapinto and Yuki Tsunoda fighting to stay.
Red Bull racer Max Verstappen and George Russell of Mercedes hold the keys to the 2026 F1 driver market, as most teams wait to see where the dominoes fall. Cadillac are interested in signing Russell, as well, with the Briton currently out of contract after the 2025 campaign.
But the focus for Cadillac has largely been on exploring the pool of veteran free agents, such as Valtteri Bottas, who can offer valuable experience ahead of the American crew’s debut on F1’s grid. It is even now said that Bottas and Cadillac have agreed on the terms of a contract.
Photo by Kym Illman/Getty ImagesCadillac will ‘soon’ announce Sergio Perez as the General Motors team’s first F1 driver
But Cadillac and Bottas have not yet signed a contract for the Finn to return to F1 with them next year. Also, Motorsport.com and Mundo Deportivo are both now reporting that Cadillac will ‘soon’ announce the signing of Sergio Perez to be the General Motors team’s first driver.
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TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacN/AN/AFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
According to Mundo Deportivo, Perez may even announce the 35-year-old’s deal to drive for Cadillac himself. The GM entry prioritised signing an experienced F1 driver first to help team principal Graeme Lowdon and Pat Symonds develop their car at their factory in Silverstone.
Motorsport.com also notes that GM has allocated Cadillac ‘significant resources’ to build the Formula 1 project from the ground up. Cadillac have long viewed Perez as their No1 target, as well, and are now ready to confirm his role before signing his teammate in the coming weeks.
Bottas remains on Cadillac’s shortlist for their 2026 F1 driver line-up, but they are exploring moves for Mick Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu and Jak Crawford, as well. Crawford will need to win the 2025 Formula 2 title to secure an FIA F1 Superlicence, and is six points off the lead.
Cadillac have remained clear that Perez is their top target since the moment General Motors brand first learned that he would be available for the 2026 F1 season. So, while Cadillac also have an interest in Bottas, the Mexican is in the lead to steer the brand’s F1 debut next year.
Sergio Perez will hope any F1 comeback with Cadillac can cancel the woes of his Red Bull nightmare
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Perez will hope that returning to F1 can also let him prove himself again after the horrors of his final year with Red Bull last season. The Guadalajara native scored just 152 of the team’s 589 points through the 2024 campaign to even finish eighth in the F1 drivers’ championship.
Red Bull paid Perez £15.5m to terminate his contract last December, as well, having secured a deal for the 2026 season only for Christian Horner to pull a U-turn on his decision to retain the six-time Grand Prix winner. Perez’s plight made it impossible for Red Bull to keep him on.
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TEAMENGINERed BullRed Bull Powertrains (in partnership with Ford)FerrariFerrariMcLarenMercedesMercedesMercedesAston MartinHondaRacing BullsRed Bull Powertrains (in partnership with Ford)HaasFerrariWilliamsMercedesAlpineMercedesAudiAudiCadillacFerrariF1 engine suppliers for the 2026 season
Horner thought the contract would take the pressure off Perez, but he then failed to finish a single Grand Prix higher than P6 through the following 16 rounds. The three-time polesitter even failed to score a single point during four of his final five Grands Prix racing for Red Bull.
Justin Bell believed Perez was ‘traumatised’ by his poor race at the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix, as well, having qualified P18 and finished the race in P17 as the last driver on the road. Red Bull teammate Verstappen had qualified in P2 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
The 39-time podium finisher’s woes were not over after his home round, either. Ted Kravtiz slammed Perez for an ‘embarrassing’ incident in the 2024 Qatar Sprint, which Horner even admitted he would need to ask the Mexican about after he went on to finish in 20th place.
Colapinto, during his late-season cameo with Williams, overtook Perez at the exit of the pit lane before the F1 Sprint at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix to gain an early place as both did not start from the actual grid. Red Bull made changes to Perez’s car after he qualified in P16.