Cadillac are going to be Formula 1’s 11th team in the 2026 season and there are now questions over who might be in their driver lineup.

For the first time since 2016, there will be an extra two spaces on the grid with Cadillac joining as they were granted an early entry after failing under the Andretti guise last year.

Cadillac will use Ferrari engines and gearboxes through the 2026 and 2027 seasons, before GM fully enters with their own power unit from 2028.

It is a massive undertaking for the US squad, although they have also set up a headquarters in the UK in a bid to attract top talent.

Now questions have turned to who will be part of the driver lineup, and while Valtteri Bottas has recently teased a drive at Cadillac, former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr thinks they should choose Sergio Perez when speaking on the Pelas Pistas podcast.


Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Nelson Piquet Jr thinks Cadillac should go with Sergio Perez

Perez has been on the rumoured list of candidates for the Cadillac drive, along with current Mercedes third driver Bottas, for some time.

Bottas has been told why a move to Cadillac might be difficult, given that team principal Graeme Lowdon is the manager for his former Sauber teammate Zhou Guanyu.

Piquet Jr thinks Perez might be a better fit for the team, despite his form compared to Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2024.

Piquet: “I think Perez, when he’s not on the same side as Max, his head will be performing better than Bottas. Bottas, regardless of who’s on his side, he was walking next to Zhou last year. He wasn’t always in front, so that means Zhou is also good.

Fittipaldi: “So if you had to choose now, who would it be?”

Piquet: “I would go with Perez because of the money and his head won’t be on the side of Max.”

Bottas has experience in simulator with 2026 car

The good thing for Cadillac is the lack of immediacy needed to choose their drivers, considering they have at least half of the 2025 season to assess options.

Drivers will not be testing their 2026 machines for the first time until February next year, although the team will want to ensure any prospective candidates have experience in the simulator.

This is perhaps one area where Bottas has more experience than Perez, having been part of Mercedes’ simulator programme this year.

Perez by contrast, is not affiliated with an F1 team and is unlikely to have tested a 2026 car yet in the sim, which could impact his readiness next year.