Bottas to Cadillac done deal could be confirmed next week

According to multiple reports, Bottas has signed with Cadillac after weeks of speculation about his future in Formula 1. Sources suggested the deal might have been unveiled around the Italian Grand Prix, but the announcement is now tipped to arrive next week.

Formula.hu reported: “After a sea of rumours and world championship tips in recent weeks, Valtteri Bottas has signed with the Cadillac F1 Team – Formula.hu and RacingNews365.com have learned from industry sources.”

The question is whether the new American team will confirm both its 2026 drivers at once. The others in the running are reprotedly Sergio Perez and Mick Schumacher. Bottas’ situation is particularly interesting as the team plans to run TPC (testing of previous cars) sessions with a Ferrari from two years ago later this season to prepare for its debut campaign.

If Bottas takes part, it may rule out his current third driver role at Mercedes, potentially leaving the Brackley outfit searching for a replacement.

RacingNews365 report that Cadillac has “reached a deal with Formula 1 veteran Valtteri Bottas, who will make his return to the sport for the 2026 campaign”. The Finn is expected to be officially presented by Cadillac next week, the report concludes.

Bottas has been linked with the project for months and has been clear about his desire to return to the grid as a priority. With Cadillac planning Ferrari-based TPC outings later this year, it is logical for the 10-time Grand Prix winner to join the team early to prepare himself and build cohesion with his new crew.

The project is currently led by team principal Graeme Lowdon, who has prior links to Bottas. In recent years, Lowdon worked as the manager of Zhou Guanyu, Bottas’s Sauber teammate for three seasons until both departed the grid at the end of last year.

Cadillac will become Formula 1’s eleventh team when it joins the grid in 2026, with Bottas now poised to spearhead the effort.

Looking into his crystal ball, former Grand Prix and Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya said: “In the first year, they are going to need experience, and so having Bottas and Perez makes sense. That gives them time to look at what’s out there.

"Then they choose one of those two to build a team around. For year two or three, you need to look to pick a young guy for the future. If you pick up the right young guy and you can develop them for three or four years when you get things together, that guy will be ready to win.

"I would sign one for two years and the other one for a year. I wouldn’t sign both for two years," added Montoya, of Bottas and Perez spearheading the Cadillac F1 project, in an interview with the CoinPoker media team.