The FIA technicality that stops Cadillac replacing Valtteri Bottas

Cadillac

The FIA technicality that stops Cadillac replacing Valtteri Bottas

Cadillac's current two drivers are Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 28 May 2026 16:57

An FIA technicality could be what stops Cadillac from replacing Valtteri Bottas ahead of the 2027 season.

Neither of Cadillac's two drivers are doing particularly well, with the new outfit point-less after their first five grands prix in the sport.

But amid the team's performance issues, the intra-team battle between their two highly experienced racers is an intriguing one.

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36-year-old former Red Bull racer Sergio Perez is leading 10-time grand prix winner Bottas in both qualifying and race head-to-heads, yet the Finnish driver is ahead of Perez in the drivers' championship thanks to his 13th-place finish in China.

Yet despite both drivers being under contract with Cadillac until the end of the 2027 season, rumours circulating last week suggested that Cadillac were considering replacing Bottas with reserve driver Colton Herta.

There is a desire within the Cadillac team to bring an American driver onto the F1 grid, being an American car brand with such a rich history in the States.

Herta is 26 years old, but is a relative novice in European racing series, ditching IndyCar at the end of last season to instead join F2 in the hopes of one day making it to F1.

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Why can't Herta join F1?

One thing that may well save Bottas' blushes is the fact that an FIA technicality means that Herta is not yet able to join the F1 grid.

The FIA requires any driver who competes in an F1 season to have 40 superlicence points in a three-year period, with these points being gained through competing in various FIA-owned series.

In 2026, F2 championship placings down to eighth provide enough points to be able to compete in F1.

Herta has so far competed in three rounds of the F2 season and has picked up 16 points, leaving him down in 12th in the standings.

If he can finish in that top eight, however, then there will be a conversation to be had by Cadillac, but if not, then Herta will have to wait until 2028 at the earliest to be considered for an F1 seat.

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F1 Sergio Perez Valtteri Bottas Colton Herta