Cadillac just fired the opening shot of its Formula 1 campaign, and it’s a big one. The American luxury brand announced that two of the sport’s most seasoned competitors—10-time Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas and six-time race victor Sergio “Checo” Pérez—will lead the marque’s maiden F1 effort when the team hits the grid in 2026.
For a program that’s still building from the ground up, this driver lineup is no rookie experiment. Between them, Bottas and Pérez bring more than 500 Grand Prix starts, north of 100 podiums, and enough development mileage to write a textbook on modern F1 machinery. More importantly, they arrive with reputations as consummate professionals who know what it takes to help shape a new team into a serious contender.
A Fresh Chapter, A Familiar Fire
“From the moment I began speaking with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, I felt something different—something ambitious but also grounded,” Bottas said. The Finn, who’s raced alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes and most recently with Alfa Romeo/Sauber, made it clear this isn’t just a paycheck gig. “It’s not every day that you get a chance to be part of something being built from the ground up.”
Pérez, fresh from his long Red Bull stint, echoed the sentiment. “Joining Cadillac is an incredibly exciting new chapter in my career. This is a project with passion and determination behind it, and I believe we can grow together into a front-running team.” Always one to speak to his fan base, Checo made it clear he sees Cadillac as more than just another outfit on the grid: “We want to be the team of the Americas.”
The Big Build
Cadillac’s entry into F1 isn’t some marketing stunt cooked up in a Detroit boardroom. Backed by General Motors and TWG Motorsports, the team is stitching together a three-continent operation with hubs in Indiana, North Carolina, and Silverstone, UK. The goal? Blend American innovation with European racing expertise.
Team Principal Graeme Lowdon—best known for his prior work with Manor—says signing Bottas and Pérez was less about name recognition than it was about cultural fit. “They’ve seen it all and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1. But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team.”
Beyond the Grid
For Cadillac, this is more than just a racing program. It’s a chance to cement itself as an American performance brand on the global stage, at a time when Formula 1’s popularity in the U.S. is at an all-time high. “This moment marks more than just a lineup announcement,” said Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports. “It’s the beginning of a bold new chapter in American motorsport.”
Mark Reuss, President of General Motors, put it more bluntly: “Together, we’re building the foundation for American motorsports that will be an extraordinary legacy for Cadillac, GM and the sport.”
Cadillac isn’t dipping its toes into Formula 1—it’s cannonballing into the deep end. By securing Bottas and Pérez, the brand signals it’s not interested in making up the numbers. It wants to compete, to build, and eventually, to win.
And while it may be a few years before the black-and-gold cars of Cadillac F1 are challenging for podiums, one thing is certain: America finally has a Formula 1 team with both the corporate muscle and the driver talent to make some noise.
Source: Cadillac