Bottas Frontrunner for 2026 Cadillac F1 Seat

Valtteri Bottas, currently Mercedes' reserve driver and a winner of 10 Grands Prix, is the frontrunner to join Cadillac's new Formula 1 team for its 2026 debut. Senior Cadillac management will meet with Bottas and other candidates at the British Grand Prix, aiming to finalize their lead driver soon. Bottas has fueled speculation about a move to Cadillac through a cryptic social media post. While Sergio Perez was previously in contention, Cadillac may now pair Bottas with either Perez or a young talent. Bottas has reiterated that he could pursue IndyCar if an F1 seat does not materialize. If Bottas joins Cadillac, he will serve a five-place grid penalty in 2026 due to an incident in his last F1 outing.