Aug.27 (GMM) Cadillac has defended its decision to launch its Formula 1 program with experienced and non-American duo Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, following criticism that the team overlooked younger options.
The New York announcement confirmed that Bottas and Perez, both 35, will form the all-new lineup from 2026. Some observers, however, noted that while both are former Mercedes and Red Bull winners, they notably struggled at the tail end of their initial F1 careers.
But Dan Towriss, Cadillac F1 CEO, insists the Finnish-Mexican choice is deliberate.
“We spent a lot of time looking at past experience and what the state of the world was at Sauber, and really how Valtteri performed with the car that’s there and kind of qualifying performance versus race performance,” Towriss explained.
As for Perez, who was dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2024 for poor performance, his stock has risen since as Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson also subsequently struggled in the same seat.
“Clearly none of the other drivers have fared well in that second seat from that standpoint, and so we did take a lot of time to talk to people at Red Bull and get information and feedback,” he said.
Questions were raised about Perez’s motivation given his year out, but Towriss said Cadillac was reassured.
“When you look at Valtteri, he’s at the track every weekend, right?” he said. “And so it was important for us to kind of know where Sergio’s at in terms of his desire to be back in Formula 1, and also his belief in our project in leading the team – and we couldn’t have been more pleased with his response.”
Perez himself rejected any suggestion he needs to prove his worth. “Not just because of the current (Red Bull) drivers or those who came after me,” he insisted, “but also before that.
“Everyone forgets that this (Red Bull) is a very difficult place, you have to constantly adapt, work on your mental toughness. It’s a unique challenge.
“I don’t think I have anything to prove – look at how many points they’ve got,” he added, referring to Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda’s efforts so far in 2025. “About five for the whole season?
“For me, it is more of an opportunity to return to F1 and enjoy it. I could not afford to leave the way I did – that is why I am returning with a new project. Hopefully, a very successful one.”
At the same time, Cadillac has also confirmed a longer-term ambition to bring an American driver into the new-in-2026 team. Rumours link Colton Herta to a move into Formula 2 as preparation, but Cadillac said Bottas and Perez are on multi-year deals.
“It’s important to us to make sure there’s a pathway for an American driver into Formula 1 and we’ll be working on that,” he said. “As for the possibility of Colton Herta being involved, he doesn’t have enough points for the Formula 1 license called the Super License.
“Ultimately, we preferred to go with experience anyway,” said Towriss. “We’ve hired a lot of very experienced people to bring Cadillac into Formula 1, but most of them have never worked together before. We will pave the way for an American driver over time, but for the first season we think Perez and Bottas are the ideal driver duo.”
Finally, Towriss dismissed talk that former Red Bull boss Christian Horner could be recruited. “There have been no discussions with Christian Horner, and there won’t be any.
“I can officially squash that rumor. Graeme Lowdon is our team principal, and he has our full confidence.”
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