Are Bottas and Perez the right drivers for the Cadillac F1 Team?
F1 NewsThursday, 28 August 2025 at 13:55
Cadillac’s decision to sign Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez for their debut Formula 1 season in 2026 has been met with a general thumbs-up by fans and pundits alike.
Riccardo Patrese and Jacques Villeneuve, though, question whether the pair can truly lead a new team forward. This week, Cadillac confirmed Perez and Bottas as its drivers for the team’s debut Formula 1 season in 2026, a decision reflecting pragmatism and experience over youth.
The pair bring more than 500 race starts to the American team, multiple Grand Prix victories, and the pedigree of finishing championship runner-up to all-time greats Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. For a brand-new operation, their knowledge of top-level teams is seen as vital.
“It’s the right combination, the right drivers at the right time,” said Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss, explaining that leadership and experience outweighed other factors. “Everybody’s working together for the first time. The experience these two bring is what’s most important.”
Thoughts on Perez and Bottas as teammates at Cadillac next year
Perez, leaving Red Bull after 2024, arrives as a free agent. Bottas, also dropped last year, is currently Mercedes’ reserve. General Motors president Mark Reuss highlighted the marketing value: “The market in Mexico is a big deal… the fan base there is absolutely enthusiastic.”
1997 Formula 1 World Champion Villeneuve gave his assessment of the pairing to the ComeOn Sports media team: “It makes sense. We'll get a real idea if they both can be team leaders or not. Bottas was very quick at the Mercedes when he was fighting Lewis. And Alfa Romeo, it looked like he had lost his drive.
"It wasn't exciting. Sometimes a year off then puts the juice back in. Then we'll know. Perez had a good start at Red Bull and then he crumbled. So, is that because he was incapable of developing a car or is it the way the team just didn't work with his mindset?
“This is also something we'll find. They both have a lot of experience but is it the right experience? That's what we need to find out. To know where you're at, you need some form of experience with a completely new car next year.”
Villeneuve: I’m very surprised that they didn't take Alex Palou
Villeneuve admitted surprise at Cadillac’s decision not to combine experience with youth: “I'm surprised they didn't take one experienced and one young driver. I’m very surprised that they didn't take Alex Palou. He would have been great for them.
"I’m actually flabbergasted. But it has tended to be the experienced drivers that get kicked out to be replaced by younger rivals who are sometimes not good enough. At least Cadillac has gone the other way.”
On whether the pair’s Mercedes and Red Bull experience can translate into car development, Villeneuve was blunt: “It doesn't matter. It's the same with engineers. Just because an engineer was at McLaren or Red Bull while they were winning, doesn't guarantee he's any good.
"So, they both won races, so they both know what it takes to win. Now we'll find out what kind of work they bring to the team. Driving fast within a car that can win is one thing, developing a car is completely different. And that's something we don't know if they're capable of doing.”
Perez brings money and experience
Villeneuve acknowledged the commercial and sporting value of the two drivers: “F1 is ultimately a business and how much someone has brought with them. It is not just about winning. Perez does bring the Mexican market which means Cadillac could get more sponsors. Sergio comes with sponsors himself; he always has. They provide a big chunk. That will carry on and is important for a new team.
“Perez showed he is capable of winning races when up against Max. What we have seen though is that he was not capable of making a car his and developing a new car. That is why, at the end of a season, Max always had the upper hand. Is that something that is important for Cadillac or not? That’s the only aspect that might be lacking. Otherwise, he brings a lot to the table.
“But at some stage the team does need to move forward because it will be a new car. It needs someone who is capable of taking the team and the car in a particular direction. I am sure they have done their due diligence and if you put everything on a dart board there are a lot of positives in getting Perez."
Villeneuve: Bottas has shown he can beat Hamilton
Regarding Bottas, Villeneuve added: “He doesn’t have the commercial backing. Bottas is a Mercedes man, he's with Toto, but that's not a Mercedes engine. So, Cadillac definitely really wanted him for his experience.
"He has shown that he could beat Lewis on tracks during the season. Cadillac has decided to overlook his years at Sauber where he didn’t have his mojo. He was bored driving there. We didn’t see the best Bottas at Sauber. They are hoping they will get the Mercedes Bottas. He also has a good image in F1 which could attract sponsors even if he doesn’t come with them himself.”
Villeneuve dismissed suggestions Cadillac would further boost Formula 1 in America: “It doesn't matter. F1 is global, F1 is huge. You just have to see what happened with the F1 movie. An American team won't make it more viable in the States.
"F1 right now in the States is bigger than an American team. It’s nice that American fans can have a connection to Cadillac. But remember F1 is a global sport so that's the same thing for any brand. It’s not just the USA, it's not just France, it's global.”
Cadillac and the American engineering talent pool at its disposal
On the prospects for Cadillac next year and beyond, Villeneuve said: “It's difficult now because there is no testing. The budget caps somehow help, because the leading team can't just spend big money. The fact that the rules are so restrictive also helps.
"If there's a car that's great, everyone kind of copies it within two years. Look at how close the grid is now. Sauber, without even evolving the car that much, got a podium and they're always in the points. If you work well with the team you have, and you have the right drivers, you can get amazing results."
“You can recruit engineers from existing F1 teams, but there's not many people that are actually good; and they would be so expensive and with the garden leave we kind of go beyond that. There's amazing talent in North America, both in NASCAR, IndyCar and a lot of them come from Europe anyway."
The Cadillac F1 team will be based across multiple global hubs, including a new headquarters for manufacturing in Fishers, Indiana (USA), a major European hub for the race team at Silverstone (UK), a technical centre in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA) for the power unit, and the use of a wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany.
Villeneuve: It's not only the numbers that matter
On the stateside engineering talent, Villeneuve continued: "The pool of talent is out there. It's the F1 experience that might be lacking but is that important with the huge rule changes that are happening now anyway? Definitely, because it's not just down to designing a car.
"Adrian Newey has people working with him. He’s not alone with his pencil, doing a drawing. It's the approach. It's the attitude. It's the racing attitude that Adrian Newey has. He pushes hard on the engineering side but he’s also very human. He understands that a car doesn't drive on its own.
"So, it's not only the numbers that matter. It's how does each driver gel with those numbers that are in the car. And it's a balance between the two. Something might be great for an engineer, great numbers, it's amazing, but a driver just can't drive it because he can't feel it, so he will be slower. Is that a better car? No, it's a worse car?
"You have a human being in it, and every driver is slightly different, and Adrian understands the driver also because he drives himself, so he understands the concept," explained Villeneuve, an 11-time Grand Prix winner for Williams.
Patrese: I would have gone for Nico Hulkenberg
Patrese also went against the general F1 sentiment about the Bottas-Perez hire: Bottas and Perez are nothing special: “If the team wants to sleep a little bit, probably that is a good choice. I mean, Bottas and Perez?
“They already proved they are good drivers, but nothing special. I don't know. The problem is, if they don't get them, who will they get? But Nico Hulkenberg. They should go for him.
"Between Bottas and Perez, I should get Hulkenberg. I think Hulkenberg proved himself again at Silverstone. Ten years ago, I think he really showed he had the potential to be very good.
“If they look for an experienced driver because they have to build a new car, my first choice should be Hulkenberg. Then maybe Perez, or Bottas. But Bottas and Peretz together? I don't know," admitted Patrese, to RacingTipster.
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