Cadillac explains choice of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez for 2026 debut

Cadillac has moved to justify its selection of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as its first Formula 1 drivers, stressing that experience was prioritised over youth or nationality.

The New York presentation confirmed the pair, both 35, will lead the American manufacturer’s entry from 2026. While both are proven grand prix winners with Mercedes and Red Bull respectively, some critics argue their careers had stalled before leaving F1.

Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss insists the appointments were carefully considered. “We spent a lot of time looking at past experience and what the state of the world was at Sauber, and really how Valtteri performed with the car that’s there and kind of qualifying performance versus race performance,” he explained.

Perez, who departed Red Bull at the end of 2024, was also scrutinised, but Towriss said recent struggles by Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda only reinforced the Mexican’s value.

“Clearly none of the other drivers have fared well in that second seat from that standpoint, and so we did take a lot of time to talk to people at Red Bull and get information and feedback.”

Concerns were also raised about Perez’s motivation following his year out. Towriss said the team was satisfied. “When you look at Valtteri, he’s at the track every weekend, right? And so it was important for us to kind of know where Sergio’s at in terms of his desire to be back in Formula 1, and also his belief in our project in leading the team – and we couldn’t have been more pleased with his response.”

Perez himself dismissed any suggestion that he returns with a point to prove, saying: “Not just because of the current (Red Bull) drivers or those who came after me, but also before that. Everyone forgets that this (Red Bull) is a very difficult place, you have to constantly adapt, work on your mental toughness. It’s a unique challenge.

“I don’t think I have anything to prove, look at how many points they’ve got,” he said, pointing to Lawson and Tsunoda’s 2025 tally. “About five for the whole season? For me, it is more of an opportunity to return to F1 and enjoy it. I could not afford to leave the way I did – that is why I am returning with a new project. Hopefully, a very successful one.”

Towriss added that Cadillac still intends to open the door for an American driver in future. Colton Herta has been linked to a move into Formula 2 to prepare, but both Bottas and Perez have signed multi-year deals. “It’s important to us to make sure there’s a pathway for an American driver into Formula 1 and we’ll be working on that,” he said.

“As for the possibility of Colton Herta being involved, he doesn’t have enough points for the Formula 1 license called the Super License. Ultimately, we preferred to go with experience anyway,” Towriss added.

“We’ve hired a lot of very experienced people to bring Cadillac into Formula 1, but most of them have never worked together before. We will pave the way for an American driver over time, but for the first season we think Perez and Bottas are the ideal driver duo.”

Finally, speculation about Christian Horner was ruled out. “There have been no discussions with Christian Horner, and there won’t be any. I can officially squash that rumor. Graeme Lowdon is our team principal, and he has our full confidence.”