With the news that General Motors and its partners at TWG Global have succeeded in leading a revised Andretti bid to Formula 1, the world now knows that Cadillac will be on the grid in 2026.
Work has already begun on the project. There is a factory at Silverstone, Nick Chester, formerly of Lotus, Benetton and Arrows has been present as the outfit’s Technical Director since March 2023 and the prospective entry is awaiting former F1 Chief Technical Office Pat Symonds. Former Renault engine technical director Rob White has also boarded the project as Chief Operating Officer.
Stringing this all together will be recently appointed Team Principal Graeme Lowdon and for the team’s first two seasons, a Ferrari will bring the required horsepower to compete in F1.
But what about the drivers?
1978 F1 World Champion Mario Andretti is lending his advice behind the scenes at the Cadillac F1 project as a Director and the American gave his thoughts to NBC regarding the driver line-up.
“[Herta’s] definitely one that’s considered,” said Andretti. “I think you have to keep those options open, since it’s going to be a whole next season where we’re not going to be players.”
Along with Herta, 2025’s long list of out-of-work drivers, including Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen, Franco Colapinto and Zhou Guanyu will definitely be keeping an eye on the Cadillac situation. Moreover, drivers reaching their ceilings at their current teams will also be looking to Cadillac with envious eyes as F1’s 11th team becomes a key player for the 2026 driver market.
Motorsport Week is on hand to provide its take on Cadillac’s list of potential candidates.
1 – Colton Herta
The revelation that General Motors will bring Cadillac to F1 in 2026 provides an opportunity for Herta to make his long-awaited debut in Grand Prix racing. Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Global’s motorsport business took majority ownership of Andretti in September, helping fast-track the revised F1 bid with Cadillac. It is speculated that Cadillac will want to bring an American driver to F1 in 2026 and Herta is already a part of the Andretti set-up in IndyCar. 2009 F1 Champion Jenson Button, who partnered the Californian at the Daytona 24 Hours in January, has backed Herta to do well in F1.
“He is extremely quick. Everything he gets into his quick,” Button amid his Sky Sports F1 presenting duties. “In IndyCar he is extremely quick. He was my teammate when we raced at Daytona earlier this year. He just gets in, and he’s on it. He will be quick [in F1] from the word go. There is obviously a lot of learning, very different to IndyCar. He’s got the mindset.”
Herta had his best IndyCar season to date in 2024, finishing second in the Drivers’ standings. That has brought him within a whisker of securing the necessary FIA Super License points to be eligible for an F1 drive. That has hampered Herta before when AlphaTauri failed to get special dispensation from the FIA to sign him for the 2023 season. As it stands, Herta has 39 points towards his Super License, one short of the necessary 40. To date, his F1 mileage has been limited to TPC testing with McLaren.
Herta will turn 26 during Cadillac’s maiden season in F1 which puts him on the older side for F1 debuts, but as one of America’s most-promising and exciting single-seater racers, he is one of the strongest candidates to land a drive.
2 – Yuki Tsunoda
Tsunoda is a wildcard on this list as for now his future remains up in the air. After four seasons with Red Bull’s Junior Team, the Japanese driver feels his earned a spot in the big leagues alongside Max Verstappen. For whatever reason, Red Bull doesn’t feel the same way and spurned him in favour of Liam Lawson to replace Sergio Perez.
A reprieve for Tsunoda, as he approaches a fifth season in Faenza with Racing Bulls, is Honda. Honda has backed Tsunoda for years and the fact that the Japanese marque will become the works engine partner for Aston Martin in 2026 could pave the way for a move. However, Tsunoda’s chances of joining Aston Martin won’t come sooner than 2027, given Fernando Alonso remains under contract through ‘26 and Lance Stroll has tenure at his father’s team.
As a result, the arrival of Cadillac in 2026 could provide the perfect opportunity for Tsunoda to jump ship from the Red Bull cage he has found himself in and lead a project of his own. He’s quick, fiery, funny and a hit with younger F1 fans. Cadillac could do a lot worse than Tsunoda.
3 – Zhou Guanyu
Zhou came to life at the 11th hour in the 2024 season after Sauber upgraded its abysmal C44 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Chinese driver out-qualified Bottas in Sin City and a race later took the team’s only points of the season. Those performances show that Zhou hasn’t hit his ceiling in F1 and has merely had his development snagged by an uncompetitive team across the last three years.
Working in Zhou’s favour regarding a drive in 2026 with Cadillac is the American marque’s Team Principal Lowdon. Lowdon is Zhou’s manager and such a connection would make negotiating a driver contract swift and easy. Sure, Zhou isn’t the fastest driver on this list, but on his day he’s decent and his Chinese backing makes him a viable commercial asset too.
4 – Kevin Magnussen
Magnussen has seen his F1 career end for the third time, following stints on the sidelines in 2015 and 2021. His third F1 chapter with Haas could well be his last, but Cadillac would employ a determined, dogged team player who fights tooth and nail for every point if it saw a need to bring the Dane into the fold. However, it looks as if Magnussen is more at peace with his 2024 F1 exit and a return looks unlikely, as he told Motorsport Week exclusively in Vegas: “Of course it can happen, but I don’t know. I’m in a very different place in my life than I was even four years ago. Where I’ve been in Formula 1, this midfield is where I’ve been for pretty much my whole career except, maybe my first year. I feel like I’ve had a good opportunity, I’ve had a chance. I feel grateful for what I’ve been able to experience and the chance I’ve been given.”
5 – Franco Colapinto
Colapinto was a relatively unknown F2 driver barely into his rookie season when Williams Team Principal James Vowles promoted him to F1 at the expense of Logan Sargeant ahead of the Italian GP. Colapinto immediately impressed, finishing 12th on debut and scoring points a round later in Azerbaijan. Sure, crashes have impacted his progress, but Colapinto’s nine-round stint in F1 got people talking, drew interest from the likes of Red Bull and Alpine, reinvigorated an entire nation’s love for F1 and even had ministers campaigning for an Argentine GP.
Unfortunately for Colapinto, it looks as if his F1 journey, for now, is at an end. With Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon locked into long-term deals it looks unlikely that the Argentine will get a full-time drive in F1 in 2025 and perhaps not even ‘26 if he stays at Williams.
Instead, Cadillac could buy into the Latin-American passion that Colapinto, his fans and commercial interests share and bring the Argentine back with a bang in 2026. Thus far Colapinto has only scratched the surface of his F1 abilities, perhaps Cadillac would be just the place Vowles would feel comfortable letting him go to.
6 – Daniel Ricciardo
Ricciardo was dealt a poor hand in Singapore as Red Bull and RB gave him a weak send-off not befitting of a career that boasted eight emphatic GP victories. The Australian has bounced back once before from the jaws of F1 retirement and is perhaps one of the most marketable F1 athletes on the American scene thanks to his starring role in Drive to Survive since the series’ inception in 2019.
It seems like a natural fit, especially according to German newspaper Bild, which reported that “The Australian is the big favourite for a cockpit at the American racing team.” Bild added that “[Ricciardo’s] comeback at Cadillac would catapult the new team’s popularity from zero to 100.”
That opinion is also shared by Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff, who said “Initially it might be wise to have an experienced driver in the seat to help the team grow quickly. Valtteri, or Danny Ric? He’s popular with the American audience.”
As popular a move as this would be, it would appear a Danny Ric comeback with Cadillac is off the cards. ESPN said last Saturday, based on sources close to the Australian, he “has not been contacted and he has no interest” in returning via the new team.
7 – Valtteri Bottas
Perhaps the strongest candidate for a drive with Cadillac in 2026 is Bottas. The Finn has the best record of all the drivers before him on this list: 10 GP wins, 67 podiums and 20 pole positions. His F1 career is over for now after a disappointing three-year spell with an uncompetitive Sauber squad. However, at the Hinwil-team Bottas let his quirky, fun persona come to the fore and he has since become a global hit with fans.
Moreover, qualifying in the top-10 in his final GP (for now) in a Sauber C44 shows that Bottas still has the speed to deliver for a team like Cadillac. Unlike Ricciardo, Bottas still has the fire to compete in F1 and he wants to return at the earliest possible opportunity.
Bottas has confirmed he has already held talks with Cadillac as he seeks to return to F1 at the earliest possible opportunity.
“Yes [we’ve talked], I think for sure I’m not the only one, but of course, it’s interesting for me, and I think it’s great for F1,” Bottas revealed ahead of the Qatar GP. “Great brand, GM is a big backer behind so, for sure, it’s an interesting project. I think that’s just increased the chances of getting a seat for 2026, which ultimately is the goal.”
Bottas is keeping his hand in F1 via a Reserve Driver role at previous employer Mercedes and the Finn reiterated in Abu Dhabi his target to get a full-time drive in 2026.
“I think there will be, there will be opportunities,” he said. “But for that, I still need to keep driving, make sure I get some testing. Be involved.”
Motorsport Week’s Cadillac F1 verdict
In summary, it only seems right if Cadillac makes as loud an entrance as possible in F1 to make its American fans notice. Signing an American driver with a strong pedigree and fan base stateside is key to this and as a result, Herta looks like a near shoo-in to fill one seat at Cadillac in 2026. With an unproven rookie taking up half of the garage, Cadillac will need proven speed and experience on the other side. With that in mind, Cadillac can’t overlook a driver like Bottas, who as a free agent, will be one of the most talented F1 drivers up for grabs at the end of 2025.
A Herta/Bottas line-up looks like an exciting match-up both on and off the track and could provide just the spark to ignite Cadillac’s F1 fire.
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