DRIVER MARKET: Who could get a seat on the 2026 grid with F1’s newest team Cadillac?

With their formal entry onto the Formula 1 grid for 2026 now approved, the Cadillac Formula 1 Team can now enter the driver market and zero in on which two drivers they want to take the wheel in their debut season. There are a plethora of options available to them, including some exciting American talent and experienced F1 racers. Here are the leading contenders.

Colton Herta

Team Principal Graeme Lowdon told me that “hiring on merit and having a US driver are entirely compatible objectives for the team”.

American Colton Herta appears to fit that bill, the 24-year-old having finished runner-up in the American Indycar Series last year.

He is also part of the family, in that his Andretti Global IndyCar team is under the same TWG Group umbrella as the Cadillac F1 programme.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - JANUARY 25: Colton Herta of the #04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA LMP2 — Colton Herta could fit the bill for Cadillac in F1

Herta, who is the youngest driver to win an IndyCar race, has said he’s not thinking about F1 right now and is focused winning both the famous Indy 500 race and going one better to win the IndyCar title.

It makes sense to focus on a proper title challenge as he needs a top-four finish in the drivers’ standings, to go with the points he accrued for P2 last year, to qualify for a Super Licence to race in F1.

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Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas may be warming the bench this year at Mercedes, but he’s got no interest in staying there for long and is instead laser-focused on finding a pathway back to a race seat.

The Finn would offer Cadillac a wealth of experience gained from 247 Grands Prix that could be critical to them hitting the ground running.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 27: Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team looks — Valtteri Bottas has taken on a reserve role with Mercedes after losing his seat at Sauber

He’s a 10-time race winner, has stood on the podium 67 times and started on pole 20 times. The Finn’s feedback is very impressive, he is willing to put in the hours to help the team grow quickly and he’s arguably in the shape of his life from a physical perspective.

Bottas is clearly hungry to get stuck into a new project, otherwise he would never have pursued the Mercedes reserve role – which will see him attend all 24 races – and the fact that Williams, Sauber and Alpine all considered a move for him suggests his stock is still strong.

He’s not hanging about either as he’s already been talking to Lowdon about a potential move, having got to know him better across three years at Sauber when Lowdon was managing the Finn’s team mate Zhou Guanyu.

Zhou Guanyu

When Zhou Guanyu lost out on a race seat for 2026, he could see the positives of a year off as it had “been a draining season”.

However, he had no intention of putting his feet up – and instead spent the closing months of last season working on a deal to stay relevant by securing a reserve role.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 15: Zhou Guanyu of China and Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber talks with — Zhou Guanyu knows Cadillac's Team Principal Graeme Lowdon well, with the Briton acting as the driver's manager

Sources say he had options at multiple teams – but it was Ferrari who snapped him up. Such a deal will give him plenty of time in the simulator and track time in old F1 machinery to help keep him sharp.

He also knows Lowdon very well, having been managed by him through his time in F1 as a race driver, and thus the new Cadillac boss will know his strengths and weaknesses.

While last year was far from stellar for Zhou, he did himself plenty of favours with a battling drive in the penultimate race of the season in Qatar to score the Sauber’s first and only points of the season – and thus he would be a fine contender for the seat.

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Sergio Perez

If it’s Formula 1 experience that Cadillac are after, Sergio Perez would be a great signing should the Mexican want to find a path back to F1.

He left the sport earlier than expected after coming to an agreement with Red Bull to part ways at the end of last season.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 08: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing — Sergio Perez could find his way back into F1 with Cadillac following his early Red Bull departure at the end of 2024

The Mexican was runner up to then team mate Max Verstappen in 2023, is a six-time race winner and has 39 podiums on his CV.

Perez has also got experience winning championships, having played a key role in Red Bull’s teams’ title wins in 2022 and 2023, and experience with underdogs from his time at Sauber and Force India/Racing Point.

And he’ll bring a legion of support with him, packing out the grandstands at his home race in Mexico, as well as in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas, as well as financial support from Mexican backers.

Signing him would make a lot of sense, especially if Perez wants to return with a point to prove after his early departure from F1.