Potential Driver Lineup For New Cadillac F1 Team

The 2026 Formula 1 season marks a decade since the sport last had 11 teams, as Manor Racing departed the grid in 2016. 

Now, with Cadillac set to join as an 11th competitor during a pivotal year of all-new engine regulations, the world’s most popular single-seater racing championship will see two new drivers added to the existing roster. 

What’s less clear, however, is who those drivers are. 

Here, data-led racing experts at FIRST.com explore the team’s most likely options, spanning veteran powerhouses to up-and-coming talent. 

Valtteri Bottas firmly in contention

Former Mercedes driver and 10-time Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas is a major favourite to sign for Cadillac next season.

The 35-year-old has remained up to date with the latest goings-on within Formula 1 by performing reserve driver and testing duties for Toto Wolff’s team, having left Sauber at the end of 2024.

Boasting vast experience, proven speed and a vital position in Mercedes’ 2026 car development programme, acquiring the Finn’s services would represent excellent business for this fledgling outfit. 

Yet, Cadillac are not the only team vying for Bottas in 2026. Paddock rumours suggest Alpine are on the hunt for a reliable teammate to assist Pierre Gasly – and the 20-time pole-sitter could be just the remedy. 

Sergio Perez to attract sponsors

Perez vacated his post at Red Bull in the wake of a disappointing 2024 campaign, but his departure was not without cost.

The Mexican carries significant sponsorship deals with many companies located back home, such as Escuderia Telmex and Claro. These are among the most lucrative sponsorship pacts Formula 1 has seen in recent years.

Thus, Red Bull’s loss may present as Cadillac’s gain in a momentous opening season for the newly established team.

A deeply experienced driver, ‘Checo’ has won six races, with notable battles through the grid to achieve near-impossible results. 

With Cadillac potentially competing as a backmarker whilst the team comes to grips with Formula 1, Perez’s ability to over-perform in race conditions would prove hugely beneficial. 

Whispers of Perez to Cadillac hold considerably more weight than links to other drivers, as Mario Andretti confirmed to Fox Sports that the ex-Red Bull man is on the American team’s shortlist: “All I can tell you is that he’s [Perez] certainly one of the drivers that’s being considered. He has to be.”

Youngsters clamouring for a contract

Mick Schumacher and Zhou Guanyu are currently without a Formula 1 drive in 2026, and both would jump at the opportunity to return to the sport. 

By the same token, Aston Martin reserve driver and 2022 F2 champion, Felipe Drugovich, will view this opening as the ideal gateway to the grid. 

Of these contenders, it is Schumacher who appears first in line to form an agreement. The former Haas driver reportedly held discussions with Cadillac’s senior members during the team’s May 2025 launch event in Miami. 

Americans to represent US team?

Suggestions that Cadillac want to implant an American driver alongside an experienced name in 2026 have cooled recently, but that outcome is not entirely off the table. 

Colton Herta appeared to be a strong frontrunner to join Cadillac before his disastrous 2025 IndyCar form. Alternatively, F2’s Jak Crawford is heralded as America’s next big racing star and could deliver home-grown success. 

However, Mario Andretti has said the team “might wait a season or so before we bring in an American”, quashing rumours that a US driver would join from the get-go.