Cadillac announce F1 star return to driver lineup to join Perez and Bottas

Cadillac have added another driver with F1 experience to their team prior to their 2026 debut.

Cadillac are entering the sport next year as the 11th team on the grid, and they have recently announced that Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will make up their first driver lineup.

The pair have a plethora of F1 experience between them, including a combined 16 grands prix victories, and have been seen by Cadillac as the perfect candidates to try and help the team negotiate their first steps in F1.

Cadillac have also signed Colton Herta as a test driver, with the IndyCar star looking to one day make his way onto the F1 grid.

Now, as the American outfit seek to complete their behind-the-scenes setup, they have signed three simulator drivers, including Fittipaldi.

He is the grandson of two-time F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, and became an F1 driver in his own right back in 2020, when he competed in the Sakhir and Abu Dhabi grands prix in place of Romain Grosjean, who was injured in a horror crash at the 2020 Bahrain GP.

Fittpaldi finished 17th and 19th respectively in his only two races as an F1 racer, but is now back in and around the sport as a simulator driver with Cadillac, alongside British star Charlie Eastwood and French veteran Simon Pagenaud.

Speaking in a post on Instagram, 29-year-old Fittipaldi said: "I’m very proud to finally share that I’ve joined the Cadillac F1 Team! We have been working together on the development of the team’s 2026 F1 car.

"Together with my team-mates we have been doing extensive simulator testing and full race weekend simulations to prepare for next season. It’s a privilege to contribute my experience to a project of this scale and to be part of a brand as iconic as Cadillac."

Where will Cadillac be competing?

Despite having signed two F1 legends in Perez and Bottas, team principal Graeme Lowdon has already admitted that he expects the team to be last in the pecking order in 2026.

They have a new state-of-the-art facility near Silverstone, and have been preparing for the 2026 season for a lot longer than their rivals, but it's likely going to be tough going in the first few years of their F1 journey.

In 2028, however, they are set to start a power unit partnership with General Motors, and that is likely when they will want to start being competitive with their rivals, challenging for points and cementing themselves as an F1 outfit.

For the first two seasons, Cadillac have signed a deal with Ferrari to use their power units in 2026 and 2027.

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