10-time F1 race winner OPEN to offer from Cadillac

An image of Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Driver Transfers

10-time F1 race winner OPEN to offer from Cadillac

An experienced driver has expressed potential interesting in joining the new US outfit

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson

Wednesday 27 November 2024 22:00

A ten-time Formula 1 race winner has suggested he is open to an offer from Cadillac ahead of their entry to the grid.

In hugely exciting news earlier this week, F1 announced that it had reached an agreement in principle with General Motors (GM) to support bringing GM and Cadillac to the F1 grid as an 11th team in 2026.

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F1 explained that this came after General Motors and its partners at TWG Global had achieved operational milestones throughout the year and had made clear their commitment to brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac and become an engine manufacturer in the future.

President and CEO of Liberty Media — F1's owners — Greg Maffei said in an official statement: "With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport,"

The F1 grid is set to expand to more than 10 teams for the first time since 2012

Who will drive for Cadillac in F1?

With a new team set to enter the grid, one of the things that they will have to sort out is which drivers they will sign and how to attract them.

We already have an indication of the route that the GM/Cadillac team might go down, too, with Mario Andretti — director on the board of the new Cadillac-branded team and former F1 champion — offering an insight when speaking to the media.

"There are more drivers available than teams at the moment," Andretti told NBC Sports.

"Ten teams seems a lot, but there’s a lot more drivers, lot more talent out there.

Mario Andretti says Cadillac will look to hire an experienced driver

"From our standpoint, I think the play at the beginning would be to have one experienced driver — nationality doesn’t matter — and then a young American talent. These are the objectives at the moment."

Interestingly, one experienced driver did suggest they would be interested in driving for the team at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas, who currently drives for Sauber but won 10 grands prix when at Mercedes previously was asked about whether or not he would be interested in joining the team, to which he responded: "Yes, I might be!".

The Finn would certainly be an experienced option for the team having been in the sport for 13 seasons, competing in 245 grands prix, taking 10 wins and 67 podiums.

He may well be a free agent, too, with the 35-year-old set to leave Sauber at the end of the 2024 season.

F1 Cadillac General Motors Liberty Media