Former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez and 10-time grand prix victor Valtteri Bottas are to drive for Cadillac next season in what the new Formula One team described on Tuesday as “a bold signal of intent.”
The experienced pair with more than 500 grand prix starts between them would be making a return to the grid next year, after being dropped this year, for the US outfit, who become F1’s 11th team on the grid.
Perez, the winner of six grand prix, was sacked by Red Bull as Max Verstappen’s teammate at the end of last season, despite two years of the Mexican’s contract still to run.
Photo: EPA
Bottas’ wins came during his time with Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton. The Finn raced for Sauber last year and this term has acted as Mercedes’ reserve driver.
Cadillac are looking to the two veterans — Perez is 35 and Bottas turns 36 today — to help them make a flying start to life in the fast lane.
“Signing two very experienced racers like Bottas and Checo is a bold signal of intent,” team principal Graeme Lowdon said. “They’ve seen it all, and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1, but more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team.”
“Their leadership, feedback race-hardened instincts and, of course, their speed will be invaluable as we bring this team to life,” he said.
The decision was based on the drivers’ experience of wins and podiums in F1, said Mark Reuss, the president of Cadillac’s parent company General Motors (GM).
He described Cadillac’s driver pairing as “a really good winning combination.”
“Their experience, leadership and technical acumen are what we need,” said Dan Towriss, chief executive officer of GM’s partner, TWG Global.
“We’re humbled by their belief in us and this project,” Towriss said. “There is a young pool of drivers who are exciting and very talented, so it was a tough decision, but it was the leadership of these two drivers that stood out.”
Perez said it was an “honor” to help Cadillac take their first steps in the sport.
“Cadillac is a legendary name in American motorsport, and to help bring such a fantastic company to Formula 1 is a huge responsibility, one I’m confident of taking on,” the Mexican was quoted as saying in the team’s statement.
Bottas, who played an instrumental role in Mercedes’ winning the team world championship every year from 2017 to 2021, echoed his new teammate’s excitement at the challenge.
“This isn’t just a racing project; it’s a long-term vision. It’s not every day that you get a chance to be part of something being built from the ground up and helping shape it into something that truly belongs on the F1 grid,” he said.
Cadillac’s entry into F1 was confirmed by motorsport’s governing body the FIA in March. The US team, backed by TWG Motorsports and GM, followed F1’s rejection of a bid by another US team with links to Cadillac, Andretti.
The new team’s engines would initially be supplied by Ferrari, but GM has agreed to build its own engine in the future.
Cadillac would operate out of three hubs: Indiana; North Carolina; and Silverstone, England.