Herta firmly in the frame at Cadillac as Bottas replacement

Marcin Budkowski, Cadillac’s team principal, refused on Friday to confirm that Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas would also remain in 2027: “I think it's the last place here, as you can imagine, where I would communicate anything on the driver line-up. My marketing and communications department would kill me if I did that. I think it's not something that is done in the press. It's something which will be done by official releases from the team when the time is right."

The comments were notable because, under previous team principal Graeme Lowdon, it had consistently been communicated that the current pairing would stay on for next season. But in recent months, Bottas’s future has become uncertain. GPblog has also learned that it is far from certain the former Mercedes driver will be allowed to stay.

Should Bottas be replaced, Colton Herta is the frontrunner among the team’s management to take his place. It is no coincidence that Cadillac will give the American his fifth first practice session this season, GPblog reported on Friday. If Herta completes more than 100 kilometres in that session without any problems, he will earn one super licence point. With that point, he can apply for a super licence and will therefore be eligible to compete in Grands Prix.

Esteban Ocon is also hoping for a seat at Cadillac. His management has now made contact with the Americans, this website exclusively reported earlier in the day. Ocon would not, however, be the first choice. There is internal uncertainty over whether, after two difficult stints, Ocon is the right man to help Cadillac move forward.