Axed F1 star has 'agreed terms' with Cadillac

Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Axed F1 star has 'agreed terms' with Cadillac

The new American team are yet to confirm their driver lineup for 2026

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 3 August 2025 20:00

Cadillac are set to enter the glitz and glamour of Formula 1 in 2026, but as yet, they do not have any drivers.

Well, that could soon change, with reports now suggesting that the American team have agreed terms with axed F1 star Valtteri Bottas.

Bottas lost his full-time spot on the grid when he left Sauber at the end of 2024, and is currently the reserve driver at his former team, Mercedes.

Whilst nothing is signed yet, journalist Julianne Cerasoli has hinted that could soon change.

"I spent most of the day, up and down the paddock, trying to figure out what is going on with Cadillac, with the drivers," she told the Pit Pass podcast.

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"So, this guy might be Valtteri. The terms are agreed, to my knowledge, nothing has been signed yet, but the terms are agreed, and Valtteri will have that memory, because the terms for Audi, for the Sauber contract for this year, were agreed as well, but he never saw the papers for him to sign, the one who saw them was Gabriel Bortoleto.

"But now, it’s the same situation. Terms agreed, and they really need a driver for the simulator, and they need it now."

Valtteri Bottas claimed 10 grand prix victories at Mercedes between 2017-2021

Cadillac hold talks with several drivers

Team principal Graeme Lowdon has confirmed that Cadillac have been in conversation with a number of drivers about their two vacant spots on the grid, including Sergio Perez and Mick Schumacher.

It's understood that the team want at least one vastly experienced driver for their first season in the sport, and both Bottas and Perez would certainly fit that bill.

Bottas has amassed 246 race starts across his career, claiming 67 podiums in that time.

Perez, meanwhile, has fewer grand prix victories than Bottas - six - but has had more race experience in the sport, starting 281 races across a career that spanned between 2011-2024.

It appears that these two are the favourites for the two seats at Cadillac, but the likes of Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu and Colton Herta have also been strongly linked in recent months.

NASCAR Mercedes Cadillac Valtteri Bottas Gabriel Bortoleto