On Instagram Wednesday, Cadillac F1 Team announced a three-driver simulator team to support Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. The crew includes Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi, 2016 Indycar champion and 2019 Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud, and Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood.
Fittipaldi brings the most F1 experience…
Fittipaldi is the only one of the three with race experience in Formula 1, having deputized after Romain Grosjean’s accident at Bahrain in 2020. Haas’ test/reserve driver since 2019, it is unclear how much on-track action Fittipaldi will see. The team previously announced Colton Herta as test driver, but he is still short of required Super License points.
In a statement on his Instagram feed, Fittipaldi said “we have been working together on the development of the team’s 2026 F1 car. As a sim driver together with my teammates we have been doing extensive simulator testing and full race weekend simulations to prepare for next season.”
…while Pagenaud brings the most success…
Pagenaud has been out of racing action since suffering a concussion in an Indycar accident at Mid-Ohio in 2023. He returned to the paddock this season as a driver coach for Scott McLaughlin at Indianapolis. Pagenaud did not have a public statement at the time of this writing.
…and Eastwood’s endurance experience rounds out the lineup
Eastwood has run exclusively in sports car racing for most of his career, with a class win in GTE-Am at Le Mans in 2020. A factory driver for GM’s Corvette brand since 2024, he currently sits 3rd in LMGT3 points in WEC. In his own statement Eastwood said he will be “supporting the team through simulator work and development programs leaning on past experiences.”
Cadillac preparing for F1 future through simulator success
The extra simulator support will be crucial for Cadillac, the first all-new F1 team since Haas debuted in 2016. This preparation has included a full race crew simulation over the Italian Grand Prix weekend. These announcements highlight the breadth of experience being assembled for such an effort.
