New Method 1 entrant Cadillac have signed Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as their drivers for his or her debut marketing campaign in 2026.
The skilled duo will each return after a 12 months away from the grid, with Perez having been axed by Crimson Bull on the finish of a disappointing 2024 marketing campaign, simply months after he had signed a contract extension with the Milton Keynes squad.
Bottas, who drove alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes from 2017 to 2021, has been serving because the Silver Arrows’ reserve driver throughout the 2025 season after Sauber selected to not renew his expiring deal on the finish of 2024.
Sky Sports activities Information understands they’ve each signed multi-year contracts.
In each circumstances, it was initially unclear as as to if their F1 careers had been over, however Cadillac’s clear need for expertise within the cockpit has afforded them every one other probability in motorsport’s elite class.
Workforce principal Graeme Lowdon declared the double signing a “bold signal of intent”, whereas CEO Dan Towriss mentioned: “This moment marks more than just a line-up announcement. It’s the beginning of a bold new chapter in American motorsport.”
Lowdon added: “They’ve seen all of it and so they know what it takes to reach Method 1. However extra importantly, they perceive what it means to assist construct a workforce.
“Their leadership, feedback, race-hardened instincts and of course their speed will be invaluable as we bring this team to life.”
Sky Sports activities F1’s Martin Brundle believes the signing of the duo is an effective transfer by Cadillac, though he warned the workforce could take time to gel.
“That’s a great driver line-up,” he wrote on X. “The team needs experience and direction in year one, and can’t afford to have rookies damaging cars when all the resources will be heavily stretched.
“They’ll most likely need to park their early frustrations because the workforce will get up and working, particularly with such a dramatic regulation reset.”
‘A huge responsibility’ – Perez hopes to build Cadillac into ‘the team of the Americas’
Many had expected Cadillac, who are entering F1 as the sport’s 11th team alongside American car manufacturer General Motors, to sign at least one US driver but the new outfit have opted to pair drivers with a combined total of 527 starts, 106 podiums and 16 race wins.
Perez, 35, will contest his 15th season in F1. The six-time grand prix winner has also previously driven for Sauber, McLaren, Force India and Racing Point, and claimed a career-best second-placed Drivers’ Championship finish behind team-mate Max Verstappen as Red Bull won the constructors’ title in 2023.
“Becoming a member of the Cadillac Method 1 workforce is an extremely thrilling new chapter in my profession,” mentioned Perez.
“From our first conversations, I could sense the passion and determination behind this project. It’s an honour to be part of building a team that can develop together so that, in time, we will fight at the very front.
“Cadillac is a legendary title in American motorsport, and to assist deliver such a incredible firm to Method 1 is a large duty, one I am assured of taking over.
“I’m proud to be part of such an ambitious and meaningful project from the very beginning. I’m really pleased to be part of such a dynamic line-up, and together I believe we can help shape this team into a real contender, the team of the Americas. We’re counting on support from across the continent – and we want to make everyone proud.”
‘It is a long-term imaginative and prescient’ – Bottas excited by Cadillac problem
Bottas, who turns 36 on Thursday, started his F1 profession with Williams in 2013 earlier than being paired with Hamilton in 2017.
The Finn has 10 grand prix victories and 20 pole positions to his title, and completed second to Hamilton within the Drivers’ Championship in 2019 and 2020. He spent three seasons with Sauber after being changed by George Russell at Mercedes.
“From the moment I began speaking with the Cadillac Formula 1 team, I felt something different – something ambitious but also grounded,” mentioned Bottas.
“This is not only a racing mission; it is a long-term imaginative and prescient. It is not on daily basis that you simply get an opportunity to be a part of one thing being constructed from the bottom up and serving to form it into one thing that really belongs on the F1 grid.
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Look again at Valtteri Bottas’ greatest wins from his time at Mercedes
“I’ve had the honour of working with some of the best teams in the world, and I can already see the same professionalism and hunger here. This is an iconic brand with a big legacy in American motorsport, and to be a part of the story as it enters the world stage of F1 is incredibly special for me.”
Evaluation: Cadillac safe their prime targets – with factors to show
Sergio Perez (L) and Valtteri Bottas can be team-mates at F1’s latest workforce
Sky Sports activities Information’ Craig Slater reporting from Cadillac’s Silverstone HQ:
“The team say that they conducted a proper and thorough search to decide who should be driving for them next year but, ultimately, they are pleased to announce that they have gained their top two targets.
“By way of Bottas, we perceive that different groups had been focused on signing him as nicely, with Alpine notably focused on exploring the prospect of him driving for them. However he has chosen to return right here with Cadillac and he and Perez can be fairly a formidable pairing.
“Bottas and Perez have both been out of Formula 1 competition for this year but leadership at this team are not entirely dismayed by that; they think both have something to prove on their competitive return.
“Each have talked about how excited they’re by this new mission and that they’ve already purchased into, as they describe it, the spirit of the workforce.
“Will they have the car to perform to the best of their abilities? That is a big question with what is a new outfit racing against time to produce a car for the first pre-season test, but they say they are on target and now we know who will be in that car.”
Method 1 returns after the summer season break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 29-31, reside on Sky Sports activities F1. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
