Bottas and Perez also secured: Everything to know about Cadillac!

14:47, 27 Aug

Updated: 15:35, 27 Aug

byKada Sarkozi

Next season, a new team will join the F1 grid, for the first time since 2016. Cadillac also announced its drivers for the upcoming campaign. Find out everything to know about the American outfit here.

Who will be the Cadillac drivers?

Ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, it was confirmed that Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will drive the Cadillac cars in the team's first season, when a new set of regulations will come into effect.

Both drivers return to a full-time role on the grid, after they were let to go at the end of the 2024 season. Bottas left Sauber, and acts as the third driver of Mercedes in 2025. GPblog could also exclusively reveal that the Finn will remain with Mercedes for the rest of the season.

Sergio Perez is set to return after a gap year. The Mexican driver was signed a contract with Red Bull Racing ahead of the 2024 Canadian GP, but after finishing eighth in the drivers' standings, he was let go by the Austrians.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez

What are the contracts of the Cadillac drivers?

Both Bottas and Perez will have a multi-year deal signed with the American team. The details of the exact length is unknown.

Who is the team principal of Cadillac?

Graeme Lowdon has the role of team principal in the newly-formed team. The Briton has previous experience in Formula 1, as he was the CEO of Virgin/Marussia. He left that role after 2015.

The CEO of the team is Dan Towriss, and Nick Chester was named CTO.

Graeme Lowdon, Cadillac's team principal

What power units will Cadillac use?

Cadillac will make its own power units under the new regulations, however, that will not begin immediately in 2026.

The GM-built engines was originally scheduled for 2028, however, in this website's exclusive, the company explained the Americans will start using those in 2029 for practical reasons.

Until then, Cadillac has signed a deal with Ferrari, it was announced last December. The Scuderia will also provide Cadillac with gearboxes.

Will Cadillac conduct TPCs ahead of the 2026 season?

Talking to GPblog among others, team principal Graeme Lowdon explained that they are already working on simulators, completing entire weekends there in preparation for the next year.

The Americans are reportedly planning to conduct tests with a Ferrari TPC car.

About doing a TPC, Lowdon said: "We'll be introducing car testing as well this year. Obviously, we have to work with others to be able to do that, but that's perfectly allowable under the regulations."

Where is the Cadillac team based?

The American team has multiple bases, it shared when it was created. The British team base will be in Silverstone, where the chassis designers are also present.

Together with that, there are three bases in the United States.

- Fishers, Indiana (car parts)

- Warren, Michigan (additional operations)

- Charlotte, North Carolina (power units)

The team uses Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany.

When was the last time 22 cars were on the grid?

The last time a new team joined was back in 2016, when Haas began their first season. Similarly to Cadillac, they also began their journey with Ferrari power units.

After the 2016 season, there were once again 20 cars on the grid, until 2026. That is after Manor was unable to compete in the year that followed.