Cadillac F1 reacted to rumors binding Sergio Perez strongly to a bucket in his team for 2026, the Bild even going very far by saying yesterday that the Mexican had even been signed by the 11th team that will arrive next.
Cadillac has started discussions with a large number of potential Formula 1 pilots for 2026. Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are the main contenders for the tub which will be reserved for an experienced driver.
But Graeme Lowdon, director of the Cadillac team, said that “We have opened discussions with a number of pilots, and this is a significant number but no news will be given this weekend.”
“It’s fascinating, in fact. Each day, I read articles that we have signed someone, or that we are about to do it, or that someone is at the top of the list, or anything else. This is not reality.”
There will therefore be no announcement this evening, during the launch event of Cadillac F1 in Miami. The 2026 graphic charter, perhaps a provisional livery, at best.
To come back to the subject of the pilots, Sergio Perez is “Very well placed” According to Lowdon, but he is not the only one according to him. In addition to bottas, other pilots are also envisaged: Guanyu Zhou, Mick Schumacher and Colton Herta.
“We are in a situation where many people want to join the team,” Comments Lowdon, without wanting to confirm these names on his list.
-“We must find the right people. We will recruit merit, but the merit is not limited to the fastest tour, but to the one who offers the ideal combination of attributes for the team. We will analyze and deepen the question. We have people within the team who understand perfectly what motivates the pilots. And I can discuss with a wide range of people, etc.
An American pilot is still relevant
Colton Herta would have a specific status and could run for the 2nd bucket, since it is not experienced in F1. But maybe not from 2026 …
Dan Towriss, the director of TWG, the group that will manage Cadillac F1, left the door open to an American pilot in Miami: “The goal is simply an American team, an American engine and an American pilot.”
“But we want to do it properly. It is not just a question of choosing an American participating in an existing series and saying to him: ‘Here is your place in F1!’ This could be a very difficult route to integrate this sport.
Lowdon shares this point of view and suggests that even if an Indycar pilot could go to F1, it may not be the best decision for the team or the pilot for the moment.
“It is necessary that it is to merit, it is absolutely necessary. It is a world championship, it is necessary to do everything to win. We want the best possible pilots. If one or two of them are American, so much the better. The fans would love. We know it thanks to the studies. But the starting point is that we must be competitive, and therefore that everyone is there.”
“What American fans want is an American pilot in an American team, and an American pilot they know. Technically, nothing prevents it from happening, as long as we select it to merit. This would simply reduce the natural risks of breaking the career of an American pilot who would not be ready for F1.”
