Cadillac's choice for Bottas and Perez is a missed opportunity for F1

19:36, 26 Aug

Updated: 20:08, 26 Aug

byTim Kraaij

Cadillac has recruited two experienced drivers with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas for its debut in Formula 1. Many consider this a wise choice, but it also seems like a missed opportunity.

With the arrival of Cadillac, the wish of many people is fulfilled. Not only is there a new American team, but two additional spots are also made available on the grid. Over the years, the limited number of teams has often been an argument for people to say that talents get few chances in F1. After all, there are only 20 spots.

Cadillac has never publicly stated that they would give talent a chance or that it would reserve a spot for an American driver. From the beginning, it has been clear that Cadillac wanted at least one experienced driver.

"We definitely select on merit," Graeme Lowdon, the team boss of Cadillac, said earlier in response to a question from GPblog. "Formula One is not a playground. This is the pinnacle of world motorsport. So, for sure, we need to select drivers on merit. Fortunately for us, there are many good drivers. Now, luckily for us, there are a lot of good drivers out there. Unfortunately, we've not been able to be in the driver market until the entry is confirmed, so it's a little bit too early to go too much into any detail."

Why did Cadillac choose Perez and Bottas?

Although Lowdon spoke of a mix between experience and speed in the High Performance Podcast, Cadillac eventually chose two drivers in their thirties. Sergio Perez is already 36 years old at the start of the 2026 F1 season, Valtteri Bottas will turn 36 in two days.

This makes Cadillac the oldest lineup for 2026. For the youngest team on the grid, that may not be strange. From Cadillac, it is entirely understandable that they choose two drivers who know what is required to compete in the F1, something that many people within the team have not or hardly experienced. They must provide direction to the young team.

''The result: the press room remains empty and stories about your brand are scarce.''

- Tim Kraaij

Yet, it is also a missed opportunity. Could one of the two not have sufficed to put a fast, young talent next to that experienced driver? Haas also saw that a duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen might not work in the long term and chose Oliver Bearman as a younger driver. A choice that Sauber also made for 2025.

With two 36-year-old drivers, you are not bringing in drivers who are at the peak of their abilities. At that age, you have already reached the top and it is not physiologically strange if everything even decreases. A young talent next to that could provide the perfect balance.

Especially, an eleventh team could have been the place where guys who just missed a seat could have had a chance. What about former F2 champions like Felipe Drugovich or Mick Schumacher, or talents who are now making an impression in F2 like Alexander Dunne and Leonardo Fornaroli? Boys whose stories nobody knows yet.

For that is perhaps the biggest problem, which Haas also ran into with Hulkenberg and Magnussen. Two drivers whose stories have already been told. Drivers who no longer have the real dream of becoming an F1 champion. The result: the press room remains empty and stories about your brand are scarce. A young talent could have changed that, like Bearman and Bortoleto do at Haas and Sauber.