Mario Andretti, Cadillac F1 consultant, says the American team is not in a hurry to sign with pilots for 2026.
During a prestigious event on the red carpet at Queen Miami Beach on Saturday evening, the brand new eleventh stable of Formula 1 for next season and beyond was presented.
According to some rumors, this event could have coincided with the official announcement of the recruitment of Sergio Perez, former Red Bull driver. Fans went to the club and even chanted the name of Checo to all the guests who arrived!
But the 1978 world champion, consultant and advisor to the new team of General Motors, says that Cadillac is not in a hurry to signed permanently one or the other pilot.
“Above all, a pilot must be available! I know that Perez also chats with other teams. But no it is not signed contrary to what a big newspaper (Le Bild, editor’s note) said in Europe.”
-Pour Ralf Schumacher, “This would be good news for the American market, because it is simply very well known. Perez knows the development of an F1 well. He also worked with new smaller teams in the past. And he brings with him sponsorship funds. His sabbatical leave may have helped him. Things have not been easy for him recently at Red Bull.”
Cadillac openly envisages an American pilot for one of the buckets-mainly Colton Herta-but perhaps not from 2026. In any case, she especially searches for a pilot with a real F1 experience.
“Experience plays an important role,” the admis andret. “But faced with the pool of available drivers, you have to seize the opportunity as late as possible. Because you should not miss great opportunities.”
However, if he does not deny the attraction of the pilots of the Perez or Valtteri Bottas caliber, Andretti explains why one of these two pilots was not still locked under contract. The two interested parties will appreciate the answer!
“We know deep inside us who would like to recruit, but if a better opportunity arises, we don’t want to let it go. We cannot commit to anything for the moment. There are certainly many interested drivers who would like to join us.”
