Cadillac have signed the drivers who will lead the General Motors brand’s F1 debut with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, but the new 11th team are still short on staff.
The F1 grid will expand to 11 teams and 22 cars for the first time in a decade next term, with Cadillac joining the party. Yet team principal Graeme Lowdon is still putting the final touches into place at their UK factory in Silverstone, just four months from their first pre-season test.
Cadillac will start their life on the F1 grid in 2026 with the majority of their operation housed in Silverstone, with plans to gradually move entirely to US soil in the future. Cadillac will also start out as a Ferrari engine customer, as they work on developing a factory engine for 2029.
Lowdon could also use Cadillac’s new ties with Ferrari to increase their staff, as the GM entry have one of the smallest workforces in Formula 1. Cadillac are in talks with Ferrari chief Jock Clear, with the 62-year-old Briton set to leave later this term, but rival outfits are also at risk.
Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty ImagesAlpine are the ‘most vulnerable’ UK-based F1 team to Cadillac’s staff recruitment drive
It is thought that Cadillac are offering to double the salary of staff who join from rival teams, as Lowdon oversees a recruitment drive ahead of the first pre-season test in Barcelona next January. And Autosport Web reports that Alpine are the ‘most vulnerable’ to a Cadillac raid.
READ MORE: All to know about General Motors’ Cadillac F1 team from engine to drivers
TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacValtteri BottasSergio PerezFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
Cadillac aim to employ more than 250 new staff members before the end of 2025, with 100 of those likely to be recent university graduates. But Lowdon hopes to raid rival teams to fill their other roles, with most hires likely to come from the F1 teams also situated in England.
And Cadillac’s recruitment drive has left the £1.5bn-valued Alpine F1 team the most at risk, as the Renault-owned outfit have the lowest payroll of the UK-based crews. So, many mid-level technical staff are expected to leave Alpine, with Cadillac ready to offer better wages.
Cadillac are even likely to exploit a loophole in F1’s cost cap rules to tempt staff to leave the likes of Alpine. While only the salaries of each team’s top-three highest-paid staffers are not included in F1’s cost cap, Cadillac aim to offer big signing bonuses to keep base wages low.
Ferrari are set to let Cadillac test a 2023 F1 car at Fiorano ahead of their debut in 2026
Alpine would be expected to have any staff members who leave Enstone for Cadillac serve a period of gardening leave before they can start working in Silverstone. A switch to F1’s latest team may appeal, with Alpine last in the 2025 F1 constructors’ standings after 16/24 rounds.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
TEAMENGINERed BullRed Bull Powertrains (in partnership with Ford)FerrariFerrariMcLarenMercedesMercedesMercedesAston MartinHondaRacing BullsRed Bull Powertrains (in partnership with Ford)HaasFerrariWilliamsMercedesAlpineMercedesAudiAudiCadillacFerrariF1 engine suppliers for the 2026 season
But while Cadillac are looking to raid their UK-based rivals to plug gaps in their staff, Ferrari will also be a big asset ahead of the General Motors brand’s F1 debut. Autosport Web adds that Ferrari are set to let Cadillac stage a test with their 2023 F1 car at their Fiorano circuit.
Ferrari feel ‘obliged’ to provide Cadillac with an older-spec car to hold at least one Testing of Previous Car (TPC) session, as the GM brand will use the Scuderia’s engine in 2026. The test is likely to occur in late November after Cadillac signed Bottas and Perez as their first drivers.