F1 Today | Bottas clears last obstacle to join Cadillac, More circuits want to join F1

22:06, 20 Aug

Updated: 22:23, 20 Aug

bySavannah Lenz

Missed out on 20 August's best Formula 1 news? Catch up here with the top stories today!

Bottas is clears final hurdle before joining Cadillac

Earlier this season, GPblog could announce in an exclusive story that Valtteri Bottas will the first driver of the new Formula 1 team; Cadillac. Now, this website understands that he has cleared the final obstacle and is soon set to sign the official contract.

Cadillac has not officially announced any driver to be joining them for the 2026 season so far. Bottas may officially be revealed at the Dutch GP.

Sergio Perez's name is often mentioned, Jak Crawford mentioned earlier having had talks with the team, and Felipe Drugovich and McLaren junior Alex Dunne are also in the picture at the American side.

Team has to change name for Dutch GP

The Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber will not participate in the Dutch Grand Prix under its current name due to strict gambling laws in the Netherlands.

The team in Zandvoort is called Kick Sauber. Stake, the Swiss team's title sponsor, will therefore not be on the entry list for the event at Circuit Zandvoort, GPblog can confirm.

This is not the first time this will happen, as this was the case in Australia and Belgium.

Two old F1 circuits want to return to calendar

Portimao, where the Portuguese Grand Prix took place, has held a meeting regarding a return to the Formula 1 calendar. However, with only 24 slots, the circuit will have to wait for an opportunity.

They are not the only circuit or country that wants to join in. In fact, the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia has recently expressed regret about letting the Malaysian Grand Prix go.

While MotoGP still racing at the circuit, CEO Azhan Shafriman admits he wants Formula 1 back.

However it is not that easy. He said, "There is a waiting list to get back in (for Formula One), and of course, the costs are very expensive. We were quoted US$70 million race fees (by owners Liberty Media)."

He also added, "That is for each event (edition of Malaysian GP). That does not include our setup costs, which are in the region of RM10 to RM20 million for each event. In total, it would cost us more than RM300 million to bring back the race (annually)."