Cadillac officially joins the F1 grid for 2026: Who will drive for them?
With US car manufacturer GM motors getting formal approval for their entry in F1 2026 season, they will go under the name of their Cadillac brand but who will be driving for them?
The decision to formally approve GM Motors' bid to enter F1 came over two months ago after the manufacturer reached an agreement with F1 to join the grid.
The new team will have a U.S. base in Silverstone and will be backed jointly by TWG Motorsports and GM Motors. This backing is led by TWG’s co-owner, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss, who is now the owner of the U.S. team Andretti Global after previous owner and American racing legend Michael Andretti passed the baton to him.
Michael Andretti no longer has any involvement with the company, but his father, former 1978 F1 Champion Mario Andretti, will be involved in advisory capacity.
In early 2024, there was an initial bid for Andretti to join the grid, with FIA granting initial approval. However, Formula One Management declined the bid, citing shortcomings in Andretti’s proposal. Nevertheless, it appears to have worked out in the end, as Cadillac has now secured approval.
Andretti Global has achieved considerable success in various motorsport disciplines, such as Formula E and IndyCar. However, their résumé wasn’t quite enough to satisfy F1's commercial rights holders. As a result, they will take a backseat in F1 as a co-investor in the new Cadillac team without operating under the Andretti name.
Cadillac will enter Formula 1 in the 2026 season as the second American-based team alongside Haas F1 Team and will become the 11th team on the grid, adding two more cars to next year’s lineup.
The question is: who will be the two drivers representing them?
Potential Candidates
Sergio Perez
Given how his four-year stint at Red Bull Racing went, Sergio "Checo" Pérez would have left the team on a rather sour note, likely feeling desperate for a second shot at the sport he has poured his heart and soul into.
The majority consensus online is that he’s probably better off not racing in Formula 1 any longer—especially considering how his 2024 season played out. While his teammate, Max Verstappen, secured the world championship, Pérez finished a disappointing eighth in the standings, with no race wins and only four podiums to his name.
However, I beg to differ. I believe he still has a lot to offer. We can’t ignore his track record—five race wins, including his famous maiden victory with Racing Point in 2020, where he spun out on lap one yet fought back to win from last place. He also triumphed at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix.
These accolades shouldn’t go unnoticed. He has the speed; it just never seemed to be properly cultivated at Red Bull.
As of now, he isn’t on the grid for 2025, but could Cadillac be his big break if they’re willing to take the risk?
Yuki Tsunoda
Another strong candidate for the Cadillac seat is the young Japanese driver, who has consistently proven his ability to perform in the midfield pack with RB. He has managed to outperform several highly rated drivers during his time, including Nyck De Vries, eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo, and current Red Bull driver Liam Lawson.
Despite this, he was unable to secure a seat at Red Bull's main team and was instead usurped by rookie Liam Lawson—even though he outqualified Lawson 6-0 and held a 4-2 advantage in race head-to-heads. This setback gave Yuki the impetus he needed to change management heading into his fifth F1 season, and he has since begun distancing himself from both Red Bull and Honda.
His contract with Racing Bulls expires at the end of 2025, and leaving the Red Bull family could be Yuki’s big break. It’s an opportunity to free himself from the poisoned chalice that is the Red Bull system and build the Cadillac team around him. He has shown plenty of speed and could be a strong contender for Cadillac’s lineup.
Daniel Ricciardo
To me, this seems like one of the less likely picks for Cadillac. Daniel Ricciardo has arguably experienced one of the biggest downfalls of any F1 driver—once regarded as one of the most highly rated and respected drivers, he has now become little more than a distant memory in the present day.
After being replaced by Oscar Piastri at McLaren for the 2023 season, Ricciardo was given a second shot at F1 with Red Bull’s sister team, Racing Bulls, in an attempt to regain his form and earn a place back in a top team.
However, that never materialized, as he was convincingly beaten by Yuki Tsunoda during their time as teammates in 2024 and failed to capitalize on the team’s strong early-season form. Eventually, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko ran out of patience with him and replaced him after the Singapore Grand Prix with Liam Lawson.
Given that he already had a second chance and failed to make the most of it, signing him would be quite a risk for Cadillac.
Valtteri Bottas
The veteran Finnish driver has an impressive track record, with 10 race wins and 67 podiums. During his time at Mercedes, he was capable of taking the fight to Lewis Hamilton—particularly in qualifying—though he often fell short in terms of race pace.
During his three-year stint at Sauber as Zhou Guanyu’s teammate, he consistently outperformed Zhou, especially in 2024. While Zhou finished ahead of him in the championship standings, the head-to-head stats tell a different story, with Bottas leading 21-3 in qualifying battles.
He was never truly given the opportunity to showcase his talent in 2024, as the Sauber was the slowest car on the grid.
Cadillac need someone with an abundance of experience for the development of their car and someone who has raw speed. Bottas fits the bill.
Zhou Guanyu
Zhou will undoubtedly feel hard done by after his departure from KICK Sauber last year, especially considering he secured the team’s only points with a P8 finish in Qatar and finished ahead of his highly regarded teammate, Valtteri Bottas, in the championship.
Throughout his three years in F1, he showed flashes of brilliance but lacked consistency. While he was comprehensively beaten by Bottas in head-to-head battles—losing 21-3 in qualifying—his race pace was much closer, with a 12-8 deficit.
On his day, he is a formidable driver and could play a key role in helping Cadillac secure valuable points on occasion. However, his raw speed from race to race remains a concern.
Felipe Drugovich
The young Brazilian has been waiting in the background for quite some time for his chance at the big stage.
For those unaware, he is the 2022 Formula 2 champion, having dominated the field that year with a staggering 101-point margin. He is currently set to serve as Aston Martin’s reserve driver for 2025.
However, when looking at his entire junior career as a whole, his record leans toward mediocrity.
He didn’t find much success in Formula 3 in 2019, finishing 16th in his rookie season. Despite this, he was promoted to Formula 2 for the 2020 season, but it took him three years to clinch the title. This potentially suggests a limited rate of adaptability and raises questions about whether his raw pace is as strong as some believe.
Alex Palou
For a new team like Cadillac, which doesn’t have as many connections as other teams, finding drivers outside the current Formula 1 pool may be a necessity.
One standout candidate is Spanish driver Álex Palou, who currently competes in IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing. He has enjoyed significant success in the series, winning the 2021, 2023, and 2024 championships. He also started the 2025 IndyCar season with a victory in the season opener.
Earlier in his career, he competed in junior categories such as F3/GP3, where he shared the grid with current Formula 1 drivers Esteban Ocon and Charles Leclerc. However, his results in F3 were underwhelming—he finished 10th in his rookie season and a disappointing 15th in his second year.
If we use these results as a direct comparison to other F1 drivers to gauge his potential, they appear fairly mediocre.
There is no guarantee that his IndyCar speed would translate directly to Formula 1 machinery. Given his lack of F1 experience, Cadillac may be unwilling to take the risk on him.
Interested in my other content?
Why not have a look at these before the F1 2025 season gets fully underway.
🛞 Who was the fastest? What we learnt from F1 2025 pre-season testing
🏁 F1 2025 champion? Is Norris the favorite to win? Mclaren and Ferrari tussle for the championship?
It will be interesting to see if Andretti has enough influence to give any of their current drivers a look-in. I’ve seen Colton Herta’s name being thrown around but could Marcus Ericsson could make a return? I personally would love to see what Jake Dennis could do in an F1 car