Cadillac confirm Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas for 2026 F1 debut

Cadillac has confirmed Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas will form its driver lineup for its Formula 1 debut season in 2026.

As reported by ESPN last week, Cadillac has opted for the two best free agents available, with a combined 527 race starts and 16 race wins between them.

Tuesday's announcement video included a voice-over from actor Keanu Reeves and in an accompanying statement, Cadillac said Pérez and Bottas bring "an unmatched blend of experience, leadership and technical acumen." It added that "the pair will play a central role in shaping the team's competitive foundation from day one."

Mexican driver Pérez had been a free agent after being dropped by Red Bull at the end of a difficult 2024 season.

He said his ambition is to immediately help establish the new team as a competitive force.

"Joining the Cadillac Formula 1 Team is an incredibly exciting new chapter in my career. From our first conversations, I could sense the passion and determination behind this project," Pérez said in Tuesday's announcement.

"It's an honor to be part of a building a team that can develop together so that, in time, we will fight at the very front. Cadillac is a legendary name in American motorsport, and to help bring such a fantastic company to Formula 1 is a huge responsibility, one I'm confident of taking on."

Bottas has also been without a race seat this year. The Finn returned to former team Mercedes, where he raced between 2017 and 2021, as reserve driver this season, following three years with Sauber.

"From the moment I began speaking with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, I felt something different -- something ambitious but also grounded," Bottas said. "This isn't just a racing project; it's a long-term vision. It's not every day that you get a chance to be part of something being built from the ground up and helping shape it into something that truly belongs on the F1 grid."

Pérez and Bottas were on opposite sides of the legendary 2021 championship battle between their then-teammates, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, widely regarded as one of the best title fights in the sport's history.

Cadillac, a brand of General Motors, will become Formula 1's 11th team next season. The American team will race with Ferrari engines in the short term, although GM has already committed to building its own engines out of a U.S. headquarters by the end of the decade.

Early in the process which led to Cadillac being granted a process on the grid, it was clear the team wanted to join Formula 1 with an American driver in one of the two available seats.

However, that never came to pass -- despite IndyCar's Colton Herta, seen as the most likely candidate for that role, hedging his interest in switching to F1 earlier this year.

Realistically, there were limited options for a team which expects to face a steep learning curve next season as the first new arrival on the grid since another American outfit, Haas, joined in 2016.

Cadillac's team is run by former Manor team boss Graeme Lowden and features American racing legend Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 champion, on its board of directors.

Speaking of the new lineup, Lowden said: "Signing two very experienced racers like Bottas and Checo is a bold signal of intent.

They've seen it all and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1. But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team. Their leadership, feedback, race-hardened instincts and of course their speed will be invaluable as we bring this team to life. A big thank you to the team at Mercedes for their co-operation and understanding."

Cadillac still has an opportunity for a reserve driver to serve as backup to Pérez and Bottas, with Mick Schumacher reportedly a strong candidate, while American Formula 2 driver Jak Crawford is also known to be pushing for that role.

The operation will be based primarily out of a UK factory near the Silverstone race circuit, but also has U.S. bases is Fishers, Indiana, and Warren, Michigan. Plans are in place for GM to open a specific Formula 1 engine factory in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2026.