Cadillac boss Graeme Lowdon said the team have made \u201cno offers\u201d to a reserve driver to join them for their upcoming debut F1 season.<\/p>\n
With the long-debated question of who will be their main drivers now answered, the next decision for Lowdon to make on a personnel front will come in the form of a reserve driver needed in case one of Valtteri Bottas or Sergio Perez is incapacitated.<\/p>\n
Graeme Lowdon says search starts now for Cadillac reserve drivers<\/p>\n
Unlike other sports where it helps to have a big squad, Formula 1 reserve drivers are rarely called upon for actual races and are instead more focused on testing and helping the team behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
While quite rare, there were a few occasions in 2024 when reserve driver Oliver Bearman stepped in. The first came at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he stepped in for Carlos Sainz after he had his appendix removed. Bearman was again used later that year in Brazil after Kevin Magnussen was given a race suspension for reaching 12 points on his superlicence.<\/p>\n
There is also a tendency for a number of teams to share reserve drivers with Mercedes, often loaning out their drivers to teams who share their engines. Earlier this year, Bottas was in a McLaren to help with some testing.<\/p>\n
As for Cadillac, they have yet to announce who will take up the role for them and the reason for the delay is that, as Lowdon explained, they have not started looking yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t started looking, we\u2019ve made no offers to anybody, for any reserve position with the team,\u201d Lowdon told F1.com. \u201cBut that is now the position that we\u2019ll turn our attention to and it helps complete the line-up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cadillac will use Ferrari engines next year meaning they may be able to draw upon the Italians\u2019 pool should they wish. This season, Zhou Guanyu and Antonio Giovinazzi have been fulfilling the reserve role for the Scuderia.<\/p>\n
More on Cadillac from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n
Jacques Villeneuve\u2019s verdict on Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas to Cadillac<\/a><\/p>\n