F1’s new team Cadillac has confirmed that Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will be their drivers for the 2026 Formula 1 season. It’s a strong statement of intent by the team.
Sergio Perez back in F1 after a year away
Red Bull released Sergio Perez from his contract at the end of the 2024 F1 season 2 years early, leaving him as a free agent. He was fired after a terribly difficult 2023 season where he finished P8 in the Drivers’ Championship.
The 6-time race winner and 2023 Drivers’ Championship runner-up was bound to have interest from other teams on the grid for 2026. Cadillac got him.
With Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda both struggling in the RB21 this year, it has shown Perez was not the issue in the second car. Balance limitations and inconsistent handling has been Red Bull’s downfall over the last year and a bit.
From 2011 through to 2024, the now 35-year-old spent most of his career in midfield machinery, picking up 9 podiums at Sauber, Force India/Racing Point. His tenth podium was quite possibly his greatest as he won the 2020 Sakhir GP from the back. He had been turned around on lap 1 before launching an extraordinary comeback.
Perez would go on to help Red Bull win two Constructors’ Championships in 2022 and 2023, finishing 2nd in the Drivers’ Championship 2 years ago as well. He bagged 5 wins at the team.
Sergio Perez:
“Joining the Cadillac Formula 1® Team is an incredibly exciting new chapter in my career. From our first conversations, I could sense the passion and determination behind this project. It’s an honor to be part of a building a team that can develop together so that, in time, we will fight at the very front.
“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. I’m proud to be part of such an ambitious and meaningful project from the very beginning.
“I’m really pleased to be part of such a dynamic line-up, and together I believe we can help shape this team into a real contender, the team of the Americas. We’re counting on support from across the continent – and we want to make everyone proud.”
Valtteri Bottas returns to the grid after a season off it as well
Dropped by Sauber at the end of 2024 for Gabriel Bortoleto, Valtteri Bottas will partner Sergio Perez at Cadillac for the 2026 F1 season.
Like the Mexican, the driver from Finland has previously finished P2 in the Drivers’ Championship. He helped Mercedes win 5 Constructors’ Championships between 2017-2021, with the last one securing 8 in a row overall.
Bottas took his first win at Sochi in 2017 with Mercedes, going on to take 9 more in his 5 seasons at the team. He also bagged 20 poles with them. His first came at Bahrain in the same year as his maiden win.
The Finn returned to Mercedes this year as a reserve driver. He has been helping their rookie Kimi Antonelli navigate a tricky rookie campaign to date.
Valtteri Bottas:
“From the moment I began speaking with the Cadillac Formula 1® Team, I felt something different – something ambitious but also grounded.
“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.
“I’ve had the honor of working with some of the best teams in the world, and I can already see the same professionalism and hunger here. This is an iconic brand with a big legacy in American motorsport, and to be a part of the story as it enters the world stage of F1® is incredibly special for me. I’m looking forward to representing the American spirit of racing on the greatest circuits in the world.
“I’d also like to thank Mercedes for their unwavering support and sportsmanship in facilitating such an exciting step.”
