General Motors warms to Herta as Cadillac holds off on Bottas' contract option

The question has become more urgent since Perez signed his extension to the end of 2029 ahead of his home race. GPblog reported earlier this week that Bottas is still an option for 2027 but has no guarantees, although Herta is very much in the running.

According to several sources, General Motors is keen on moving Herta up from his current test driver role into the 2027 line-up. GM runs Cadillac's Formula 1 project and is expected to become a power unit manufacturer from 2029.

However, team insiders would prefer to stay with Bottas, reason being that continuity and stability matter for a team still trying to climb off the back of the grid.

Esteban Ocon is among the drivers who have contacted Cadillac while Yuki Tsunoda has also been linked with a move to the team.

Cadillac has never published the length of either driver's contract and team principal Marcin Budkowski refused to clarify the situation in Austin. "Again, this is the last place I would comment on driver contracts, and in general, I think it's not something that is done in the press," he said. Bottas, for his part, has repeatedly said that he knows where he stands.

The pressure on Bottas comes from the head-to-head numbers. Perez leads 6-1 in races where both cars finished, though it points out that Cadillac often runs different strategies on the two cars to speed up its learning. Bottas does hold the team's best result so far, a 13th place and in Singapore he was lapping around 1.5 seconds slower than Perez, with no clear explanation.

Herta takes over Bottas' car in Friday's opening practice session in Mexico City, his fifth FP1 outing for the team. He needs 100 kilometres, or 24 laps, to secure the final point for his super licence.

Earlier this season, then-team boss Graeme Lowdon dismissed rumours that Herta would replace Bottas, calling them "completely incorrect".

After FP1 in Austin, Herta said: "I think I'll know in the next few weeks about what's going to happen." Cadillac is in no hurry to decide, because none of the candidates have race seat offers elsewhere.