Cadillac are widely expected to sign Sergio Perez ahead of the General Motors entry joining the grid in 2026, but Valtteri Bottas’ hopes for a return to F1 could be fading.
Perez and Bottas both fell off the grid at the end of the 2024 F1 season and have marked the arrival of Cadillac next term as their best routes back to the pinnacle of motorsport. Red Bull terminated Perez’s contract, while Audi decided against offering Bottas new terms at Sauber.
Either driver can give the General Motors brand a wealth of experience in F1 and of winning Grands Prix. Perez won six of his 281 Grand Prix starts and enjoyed three pole positions over his 14 seasons on the grid, while Bottas won 10 of his 246 and got 20 poles in 12 campaigns.
But while Bottas has already held talks with Cadillac, he risks missing out on a seat with the 11th team on next term’s grid. It is said that Cadillac have already reached an agreement to sign Perez and the second seat may also be slipping away from the Mercedes reserve driver.
Cadillac signing Sergio Perez and Mick Schumacher for their 2026 F1 team is not ‘unrealistic’
That is according to Sky Germany’s well-connected Sascha Roos, who can ‘imagine’ Cadillac signing Perez and Mick Schumacher to form their debut F1 driver line-up in 2026. The latter still dreams about returning to Formula 1 after spending three seasons away from the grid.
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Schumacher has not driven in F1 since 2022 when the 26-year-old scored all 12 of his career points amid his second and last year at Haas. Yet his form for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship has fixed the German firmly on Cadillac’s radar, as they explore every option.
Additionally, Cadillac held talks with Schumacher at the Miami Grand Prix after meeting an array of potential driver signings in Florida. Roos also feels he has a potential advantage, as Schumacher’s adviser Dirk Muller has great connections which could help him join Cadillac.
“I know he’s on Cadillac’s list,” Roos told Sky Germany. “They haven’t announced their two drivers yet, I think that will take a while. But Mick Schumacher is always a topic for a team like Cadillac.
“He has shown good performances for Alpine in the WEC. He can’t do much more than attract attention. That’s why it’s not entirely unrealistic, even though Cadillac have many other names on the list.
“He has the experience and knows the cars. He has a new adviser at his side who has good contacts, especially in US motorsport. That could mean that the lines of communication are relatively short. Why not try that combination? I could well imagine it.”
Mick Schumacher could deny Valtteri Bottas his preferred route back to F1 with Cadillac
Cadillac signing Schumacher to partner Perez in their first driver line-up would be a big blow for Bottas amid the Finn’s quest to also return to F1. Bottas is holding out for Cadillac before deciding on his 2026 F1 return plans, with only Mercedes potentially having a top seat free.
READ MORE: All to know about General Motors’ Cadillac F1 team from engine to drivers
Many of the F1 driver contracts in the 2025 season are long-term deals. Just George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull and Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson plus Isack Hadjar are currently due to become free agents at the end of this season.
The Silver Arrows also do not appear very willing to offer Bottas a return to the grid after his term as a reserve driver in 2025. Russell is secondary to Max Verstappen in Mercedes’ plans for 2026, and Bottas may not be their third choice as Mercedes have spoken with Perez, too.
