Cadillac F1 adviser Mario Andretti has called for fans to only \u201cbelieve what we communicate\u201d as the team prepares to confirm its driver pairing for the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n
It comes as Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas both close in on a return to the F1 grid with the American team.<\/p>\n
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas set to join Cadillac F1 for F1 2026 season<\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Mat Coch<\/p>\n
As revealed by PlanetF1.com, Cadillac F1 is close to finalising its first-ever driver lineup with agreements in place with both Perez and Bottas for the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n
PlanetF1.com exclusively\u00a0revealed on August 12<\/a> that Perez had agreed a deal to join Cadillac, with the Mexican driver set to return to F1 after vacating his Red Bull seat at the end of the 2024 season.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, PlanetF1.com reported that Bottas<\/a>, the current Mercedes reserve driver, also has an agreement in place for F1 2026.<\/p>\n Although it is understood that neither driver had signed a contract at that point, it is expected that Bottas and Perez will form an experienced pairing for Cadillac F1\u2019s debut season.<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com understands that an announcement is set to be made in short order.<\/p>\n Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas: Cadillac\u2019s first-ever F1 driver pairing?<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0F1 2026 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2026 grid?<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2025 grid?<\/a><\/p>\n Andretti, the 1978 World Champion, was invited to join the Cadillac board of directors after his son Michael Andretti\u2019s hopes of an F1 entry changed shape.<\/p>\n And the 85-year-old has called for fans to only believe what the team officially communicates as expectation grows of a Bottas\/Perez partnership.<\/p>\n He told Swiss-German publication Blick: \u201cJust believe what we communicate.\u201d<\/p>\n If confirmed, Perez and Bottas will form one of the most experienced driver lineups on the F1 2026 grid with 527 starts between them.<\/p>\n Perez, who made his debut with Sauber in 2011, stands as the most successful Mexican driver in F1 history with six victories to his name.<\/p>\n The Guadalajara-born driver, whose most recent victory came for Red Bull at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, will turn 36 ahead of the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com<\/a>, Perez\u2019s former Force India boss Otmar Szafnaeur claimed that the veteran will prove a valuable asset to a new F1 team.<\/p>\n He said:\u00a0\u201cIf he finds the right environment, with all of his experience at both smaller teams with less budget [than] Red Bull, he definitely has something to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially perhaps, a new team coming in that needs an experienced driver for the first couple of years, Checo [Perez] would be a good addition.\u201d<\/p>\n Bottas, meanwhile, claimed all 10 of his F1 wins in a five-year stint with Mercedes between 2017 and 2021, having made his debut with Williams in 2013.<\/p>\n The Finnish driver, who will turn 36 on Wednesday, was left without a seat for the F1 2025 season after Sauber opted to sign Gabriel Bortoleto as Nico Hulkenberg\u2019s teammate ahead of the team\u2019s Audi F1 rebrand.<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com reported last winter that Bottas was so confident of retaining his Sauber seat for F1 2025 that he physically signed a contract to remain with the team<\/a>, only for it to opt for Bortoleto instead.<\/p>\n Cadillac F1 will compete with customer Ferrari engines and gearboxes for at least its first three seasons as work continues on the team\u2019s in-house power unit, which is expected to race for the first time in 2029.<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com revealed earlier this week that parent company General Motors is actively recruiting staff to work<\/a> on its in-house Cadillac F1 engine.<\/p>\n