Cadillac will shake up the Formula 1 driver market in 2026. They recently agreed a deal to become the sport’s 11th team, opening up two additional seats.
After the chaos of 2024, the 2025 market looked likely to be more settled. There are still some big stories concerning out-of-contract drivers like George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda, but this time last year, more than half the grid were approaching the end of their deals.
Still, the arrival of Cadillac changes the landscape. Though they will theoretically start towards the back of the field, they will be an attractive proposition.
From 2028, they will be a fully-fledged manufacturer team as they introduce their own engine. And until then, they will race with what should be a competitive Ferrari power unit.
Add the prestige of the brand, and there’s a highly appealing package for certain F1 drivers. The Americans may look to sign a veteran to offer initial stability, and that could be a lifeline for recently-axed drivers.
For instance, Valtteri Bottas has been strongly linked with Cadillac after losing his Sauber drive. He’ll be the Mercedes reserve driver next year, keeping him active within the sport.
Cadillac may have to pay F1 team to get Colton Herta his superlicence points
According to The Race, Cadillac are also intent on signing an American driver. They may see it as part of their duty, even if their fellow countrymen at Haas haven’t necessarily promoted US talent.
The most likely candidate is IndyCar star Colton Herta. But there are regulatory obstacles in the way.
Namely, he doesn’t have enough points on his superlicence as it stands. Even though he’s older than Tsunoda, Herta has only driven an F1 car once so far – in a private TPC test for McLaren at Portimao in 2023.
Herta has won nine races and scored 18 podiums in IndyCar. He finished runner-up behind Alex Palou in 2024, his sixth full season in the sport.
And yet, he still requires a fourth-place finish next year to amass enough points. If he can’t achieve it, he may have to log the requisite mileage in an FP1 session.
In that event, Cadillac would have to reach an agreement with an existing F1 team. That may involve a financial incentive, because otherwise they’d simply be training up a future rival for free.
Jenson Button’s glowing verdict on former teammate Colton Herta
Speaking at the Qatar Grand Prix last November, 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button offered a glowing endorsement of Herta. They were teammates for last year’s Daytona 24 Hours.
He said: “He’s extremely quick. Everything he gets in he’s quick. IndyCar, he’s extremely quick. He was my teammate when we raced at Daytona earlier this year, and he just gets in and he’s on it.
“I think he’ll be quick from the word go. There’s obviously a lot of learning – very different to IndyCar – but I think he’s got the mindset.”
In addition to Bottas, Sergio Perez is also a candidate for Cadillac. Well-established in the North American market, he’s available after parting with Red Bull.
