Components 1’s driver marketplace for 2026 is predicted to be loads much less vigorous than the seat-swapping antics that spanned the whole lot of final season, as most of the championship’s key gamers are locked in for the appearance of F1’s new regulatory overhaul.
That stated, there’s one key vacation spot that lots of these overlooked within the chilly for 2025 could select to pursue, as Cadillac’s welcome to the grid opens up an additional two seats. Not solely is it an opportunity for the seat-less speedsters to reignite their F1 careers, but additionally presents alternatives for brand spanking new drivers to jot down their very own names in historical past – for higher or for worse.
Which drivers take advantage of compelling circumstances for Basic Motors to mull over for its maiden F1 voyage? Our writers have solid their eye over the more than likely candidates – and even provided their very own recommendations for a Caddy drive…
Why Cadillac ought to decide Bottas – Alex Kalinauckas
Cadillac’s F1 arrival in 2026 can be notably completely different from that of Audi – in that the GM model is ranging from scratch quite than shopping for an present crew. It is subsequently going to wish skilled personnel that bit extra, with this being much more necessary for a minimum of one in every of its two most vital workers: its first F1 drivers.
Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Crew KICK Sauber
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Pictures
The thought of Cadillac bringing an American driver into F1 is as delightfully romantic because it’s shrewd enterprise sense. However given even a prime line IndyCar peddler comparable to Colton Herta (extra on that later) would subsequently be a class rookie, their team-mate goes to wish baggage of F1 expertise alongside confirmed velocity and a observe document of serving to a crew develop on the technical entrance.
Step ahead, Valtteri Bottas.
The Finn can really feel considerably aggrieved to have dropped off the sphere in 2025 – though the junior profession of his substitute at Sauber, Gabriel Bortoleto, a minimum of matches that in title phrases of Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lando Norris. The Brazilian definitely deserves a crack on the prime degree.
However Bottas can supply Cadillac calm and detailed efforts to get its first F1 automobile on top of things. He is acquainted with the Ferrari engine that the US squad will use for a minimum of its first two years and will not rock the boat if early outcomes show laborious to return by.
Bottas can be critically fast, even very deep into his profession. He pushed Lewis Hamilton far tougher over one lap throughout their time as Mercedes team-mates than he is given credit score for and he ended 2024 with a 20-3 qualifying document towards Zhou Guanyu (from all counting classes). This stands alongside Max Verstappen’s 21-3 towards Sergio Perez and Lando Norris going 20-4 versus Oscar Piastri.
Not serving to issues for Bottas is how trying on the averages of every driver’s 10 quickest laps in each race final yr (the place they did full that whole and with necessary caveats round technique and incidents in thoughts), he got here out backside of the pile in an evaluation I just lately carried out for Autosport journal. Automotive efficiency has a lot to do with such a outcome, however Zhou’s common was a shock 0.238s higher.
However even when he is not fairly on the degree he as soon as was, Bottas’s power and character wouldn’t simply been a boon to the burgeoning Cadillac squad, however F1 general.
Now he is acquired a yr on the sidelines however nonetheless with a job to play again at Mercedes as reserve driver, he is acquired to make the case on to Graeme Lowdon and co. Effectively, it labored for Nico Hulkenberg with Gunther Steiner in 2022…
Perez is an efficient possibility, if he nonetheless has the drive – Ben Vinel
Sergio Perez admittedly can be an odd alternative for Cadillac following his dismal 2024 season – such a catastrophic marketing campaign that Purple Bull put an early finish to its contract with the Mexican. An odd alternative, at first sight.
Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing
Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
There isn’t a doubt that Perez’s efficiency final yr shouldn’t be consultant of what he can do as a driver. Generally issues simply will not click on anymore for one purpose or one other, be it technical or psychological. And that is how a number of high-profile partnerships led to F1’s historical past, like Sebastian Vettel with Ferrari in 2020.
Prior to now, Perez proved that he was a constant driver with flashes of brilliance. Most likely not blindingly fast to the extent that he could possibly be a world champion, however stable sufficient that he was a superb asset to any midfield crew. And now, he is one of many prime eight F1 drivers ever by way of grands prix begins – no fewer than 281.
The 34-year-old veteran might subsequently be a really perfect decide for Cadillac to construct its new F1 crew round. From a business perspective, Perez’s sponsors can solely be a constructive, and he might enhance Basic Motors’ gross sales in Mexico. GM bought some 184,000 autos – together with round a thousand Cadillacs – within the Central American nation in 2023. That is simply 3% of its worldwide output.
What stays to be seen is whether or not Perez stays motivated sufficient to place his head down and dedicate himself to such a significant venture.
Zhou makes monetary sense – Stuart Codling
This could be a no brainer suggestion even when newly appointed Cadillac F1 crew principal wasn’t Zhou Guanyu’s supervisor. Enlightened self-interest from the highest desk is hardly new in F1. Zak Brown is concerned in Lando Norris’s administration and this has deprived McLaren not one jot.
Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Crew KICK Sauber
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures
Zhou has the mandatory expertise with ground-effect F1 equipment and he’s, reportedly, diligent, skilled and hard-working within the storage. Whereas his outcomes at Sauber have provided trigger for celebration solely not often, the vehicles have seldom been good throughout his tenure. Notably, he scored the crew’s first factors final yr as soon as it lastly utilized an replace which added efficiency.
Even when you’re not a fan, the business logic is sensible. Granted, the seemingly actuality of the crew’s first yr or two can be extra a case of “Flip up on Sunday, hope to promote on Monday”, however Zhou is an eminently marketable determine in his dwelling nation.
At the moment, GM sells extra Cadillacs in China than it does within the US, however general GM’s market share is declining and its joint-venture operations there – together with however not restricted to the one which builds Cadillac fashions regionally – misplaced $200 million in 2023, probably the most just lately printed set of figures.
Going the American approach with Herta – Jake Boxall-Legge
Cadillac won’t essentially have a stipulation that it must run an American driver in its opening foray into F1. Expertise is definitely the precedence for one of many seats however, for sheer advertising worth and the chance to cement itself as a bonafide, all-American entry (primarily based within the UK and underpinned by an Italian powerplant), a US-based driver can be an amazing asset. And, absolutely, Colton Herta has to spearhead that checklist.
Colton Herta, Andretti World w/ Curb-Agajanian Honda
Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Pictures
Herta’s been inside touching distance of F1 earlier than; let’s not neglect that it was merely superlicence factors that precluded him from an AlphaTauri drive…okay, it is a pretty hefty hurdle, however the talks have been nonetheless superior. The story goes that AlphaTauri was unwilling to let Pierre Gasly depart for Alpine until it might safe Herta’s providers – after all, the following change to safe Nyck de Vries’ providers allowed Gasly to maneuver to pastures new.
This time, Herta’s loads nearer to the golden 40 superlicence factors. Ending second in final yr’s IndyCar standings put Herta on 32 factors general – he’d ‘simply’ want to complete fourth on this yr’s championship to hit the mark.
In the end, crucial query issues efficiency. Herta is alleged to have been spectacular when testing for McLaren in 2022, sufficient for AlphaTauri to need to safe his providers for the next yr. Let’s not neglect that he was an in depth competitor of Lando Norris’s in MSA F4, main then-boss Trevor Carlin to extol the American’s virtues throughout the British junior scene. Herta would want time to adapt, and Cadillac may want to think about a try-before-you-buy strategy – ie. throw cash at one other crew to run him in an FP1 session or ring-fence some TPC time to see if he is as much as scratch in F1.
On expertise, he has what it takes to succeed. Whether or not Herta would need to commerce his comfortable IndyCar drive for F1’s piranha pit is one other matter completely…
Palou must be thought-about – Filip Cleeren
I clearly perceive the household hyperlinks and the will for Cadillac to place an American driver in one in every of its vehicles. But when the American producer goes to show in direction of IndyCar to search out one in every of its recruits, then why not take the perfect driver obtainable? Alex Palou has had an unbelievable IndyCar profession to this point, taking simply 5 seasons to notch up three drivers’ titles, and 12 wins.
Champion Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Pictures
At Ganassi, he has in contrast favourably to Scott Dixon, the perfect driver of his era and nonetheless thought-about the gold commonplace in IndyCar racing, and his consistency specifically has been excellent, gathering 30 podiums over the 81 races he has contested, which included a rookie season with minnow Dale Coyne.
Palou continues to be chasing the elusive Indy 500 win, however apart from that the Spaniard has little to show in North America and at 27 he’s nonetheless younger sufficient to present F1 a good crack. He has by no means made any secret of his ambitions to take action, having turn into embroiled in a contract dispute with Ganassi and McLaren in 2022 as he tried to pressure a transfer to the papaya crew, which appeared in a position to supply him a path in direction of an F1 program sooner or later. He then walked away from his McLaren deal when he misplaced religion that he would have the ability to land an F1 seat with the crew.
Palou has since reconciled with Ganassi and vowed to maintain attempting to win extra IndyCar championships, and clinching that all-important Indy 500, with the crew. But when an F1 seat is on the desk once more – not a imprecise risk of 1 sooner or later, however a concrete, assured 2026 berth – why would not he a minimum of contemplate it?
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