Automotive
Cadillac just put two proven race winners at the heart of its 2026 Formula 1 launch, signing Valtteri Bottas and Sergio “Checo” Perez to lead the team’s first season on the world stage. It is a driver pairing built on experience, mechanical empathy, and the kind of feedback loop a brand-new outfit needs when it rolls out of the garage for the first time.
The move caps months of steady groundwork by the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, a GM and TWG Motorsports program with operations in Fishers, Indiana, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Silverstone in the UK. Former Virgin/Marussia leader Graeme Lowdon is team principal, charged with blending American engineering firepower and European race craft into something competitive from day one. The early blueprint is pragmatic. Ferrari power units will live in the back of the 2026 car while GM’s own power unit program ramps toward a planned arrival later in the decade.
Why these two drivers for a clean-sheet entry. Simple math and plenty of scar tissue. Bottas brings a deep setup vocabulary from title-winning campaigns, a silky smooth driving style that is kind to tires, and a reputation for turning complex development programs into predictable performance gains. Perez’s calling card is race-day craft. He has made a career out of tire life, elbows-out passes, and opportunistic podiums. Together they’ve started well over 500 Grands Prix and stood on the rostrum more than 100 times. For a first-year team facing new regulations and a steep learning curve, that is priceless institutional memory.
Those 2026 regulations are the big reset that make Cadillac’s timing make sense. The cars get smaller and lighter, with active aero to trim drag on the straights, and power units that rely far more on electrical energy paired with fully sustainable fuel. When the playbook changes, experience in building a car around evolving rules tends to beat outright rookie speed. Cadillac is clearly betting on fast learners who have seen multiple eras and know how to translate driver feel into engineering direction.
There is also the organizational scaffolding to watch. TWG Motorsports has been hiring across aerodynamics, simulation, software, and vehicle dynamics while GM builds out a dedicated power unit company to take Cadillac from smart customer today to full works team tomorrow. The Ferrari supply buys time. The American engine program is the destination. If they nail the integration, the team’s early seasons could move from learning laps to meaningful points with a real pathway to podiums as the in-house power unit comes online.
For fans, Bottas and Perez are an easy team to rally behind. Both have underdog chapters in their careers and both tend to squeeze every last tenth out of changing conditions. For Cadillac, the pairing sends a clear signal. This entry is not a marketing cameo. It is a serious attempt to build an American F1 institution with leaders who know how to develop a car, steady a team, and bank results while the big pieces fall into place.
FOLLOW US TODAY:
Lloyd Tobias is a seasoned automotive journalist and passionate enthusiast with over 15 years of experience immersed in the world of cars. Whether it’s exploring the latest advancements in automotive technology or keeping a close pulse on breaking industry news, Lloyd brings a sharp perspective and a deep appreciation for all things automotive. His writing blends technical insight with real-world enthusiasm, making his contributions both informative and engaging for readers who share his love for the drive. When he’s not behind the keyboard or under the hood, Lloyd enjoys test driving the newest models and staying ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving automotive landscape.
