Cadillac will run with Ferrari engines in the 2026 and 2027 Formula 1 season before they transition into a works team in 2028.
The American brand are set to become the 11th team on the grid in 2026 after General Motors took over the failed Andretti bid and agreed a deal with F1 to get Cadillac into the sport.
GM are looking to bring their own power units to F1, but they are not set to be ready until 2028. Cadillac have struck an agreement with Ferrari that will see the Italian outfit supply them with engines for the first two seasons of their exciting project.
Following the news of Cadillac’s entry into F1, speculation has already been rife as to which two drivers will race with the team. Mario Andretti wants to have a young American driver at Cadillac, with an experienced head to go alongside them.
While that will certainly be their plan come 2026, there may be a chance that Ferrari will want to put one of their young talents into the Cadillac setup and gain some experience in F1 – and a few talents are waiting in the wings for that opportunity.
Here are three Ferrari junior drivers that could race with Cadillac one day following the news of the two teams’ engine partnership.
Arthur Leclerc
F1 has not seen brothers race together on track since Michael and Ralf Schumacher when the former briefly retired in 2006. And Cadillac may have the chance to make history if they give Arthur Leclerc an opportunity.
The Monegasque driver is the younger brother of Charles Leclerc, who has been well-established at Ferrari since 2019 after joining from Sauber. Arthur Leclerc followed the same path as he joined the Sauber academy in 2019 before moving to Ferrari the following year.
In Abu Dhabi, Arthur Leclerc ran in FP1 with Ferrari, marking the first time in F1 history that brothers took part in a session as teammates.
Arthur has previously raced in Formula 3 and Formula 2 – finishing 15th in the latter in 2023. This season, the 24-year-old has been competing in endurance racing, winning the Italian GT European Championship in the GT3 class.
Serving as the development driver for Ferrari this season, Leclerc has gained valuable experience in F1 machinery. If he continues to gain mileage over the new year or so, he could be a solid option for Cadillac in what would be a historic move.
Dino Beganovic
Joining the Ferrari academy in 2020 along with Leclerc, Dino Beganovic has impressed in the junior ranks up to this point.
The Swedish driver won FRECA in 2022 before progressing to F3, finishing sixth in the standings in his debut season last year with four podiums. In 2024, Beganovic repeated his finish in the standings but collected two wins and one pole position, which gave him a mathematical chance of winning the title at Monza – ultimately going to Leonardo Fornaroli.
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After the F3 season concluded, Beganovic was drafted in to replace Juan Manuel Correa at DAMS for the final two rounds in F2. The 20-year-old adapted to the level above almost instantly, finishing in the top 10 in every race, including third in the Sprint Race in Abu Dhabi.
Beganovic will race full-time with Hitech next year as he looks to continue his momentum from 2024. His pace in the category is already apparent, and if he can have a solid season in F2, he would be a Ferrari talent too good for Cadillac to ignore.
Tuukka Taponen
After the departure of Valtteri Bottas from Sauber at the end of the 2024 season, F1 is without a Finnish driver on the grid – and Ferrari just so happens to have an exciting young Finn in their ranks.
Tuukka Taponen will race in F3 next year with ART Grand Prix after an impressive 2024 campaign, The 18-year-old won the Formula Regional Middle East Championship and finished third in FRECA, collecting nine wins and 16 podiums across both championships.
Of course, Taponen has a long way to go in his development as he must step into F3 before moving to F2. But his results this year suggest that Ferrari have the next rising star coming out of Finland on their books.
The nation has produced some great talents over the years, including F1 world champions Keke Rosberg and Kimi Raikkonen – the last Ferrari drivers’ champion.
The earliest Taponen will reach F1 in 2027, which is the final year of Ferrari’s agreement with Cadillac. If the young Finn can continue his form, or even replicate the success Gabriel Bortoleto had in F3 and F2 – winning both championships at the first attempt – it would be hard to pass on a talent that is already displaying great speed.
