Cadillac’s drivers for the F1 2026 season won’t be announced this weekend in Miami, but it’s understood Sergio Perez is atop the team’s shopping list.

With Cadillac hosting a brand launch red-carpet event over the Miami Grand Prix weekend, speculation had abounded that the American squad would confirm at least one of its future driver line-up.

Cadillac’s driver line-up won’t be announced in Miami

The launch event for the Cadillac F1 team will take place on Saturday, May 3rd, in Miami Beach, with guests at the event getting a first look at the new team’s branding during the celebration.

Contrary to reports elsewhere, which have stated that Sergio Perez will be announced as a driver for next season, PlanetF1.com understands no announcements regarding the driver line-up for next year will be made.

The speculation had been fuelled by Perez’s attendance this weekend in Miami, combined with the launch event for the team, with Perez’s jet having been spotted flying into the Florida city – in which the Mexican driver owns property – in the days prior to the weekend.

Furthermore, it’s understood no decisions regarding any drivers have been made at this point, while reports that the team’s future livery will be unveiled are wide of the mark.

However, paddock sources have indicated that Perez’s signing with Cadillac is “likely”, as the Mexican driver seeks a return to the F1 grid following his split with Red Bull after the F1 2024 season.

According to Autosport, Perez is negotiating with Cadillac over a potential three-year deal, with competition for his signature including two other teams.

Perez’s tenure with Red Bull may have ended in ignominious fashion as he scored just 152 of Red Bull’s 589 points tally last year, a performance which cost the Milton Keynes-based squad any chance of retaining the Constructors’ Championship, but he boasts a long and established pedigree of being a dependable strong performer in the midfield.

His experience and capability, coupled with his wealth of backers, make him an ideal candidate for a burgeoning outfit such as Cadillac.

Speaking in March, Cadillac F1 team boss Graeme Lowdon explained how experience will play a factor in the decision-making process, but it won’t be the only criteria taken into account.

“In terms of timing, it’s kind of a little bit odd because we’re out of sync with the other teams,” he said.

“We weren’t in the driver market during the fairly critical last round, so certain drivers are tied up for certain periods, but there’s still a lot of extremely good talent around. So I don’t really see that necessarily as a limiting factor.

“Do we value experience? Yes, you can see that from how we’re putting the rest of the team together – there’s a lot of very experienced people within the management and operational side of the team as well.

“So that is important, but, when you’re looking at driver selection, there’s just a whole bunch of things that go into the decision making.

“So it’s ability, capability, experience – but also looking towards the future as well.

“I know it’s not the best answer in the world, because it doesn’t give a steer of which direction we may be going in, but it’s the real answer, which is that’s pretty much what we’re analysing at the minute.”

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