Team principal Graeme Lowdon has confirmed that the new Cadillac F1 team is in “advancing discussions” with “a number of drivers” regarding their line-up for the debut 2026 season.
Cadillac is set to join the championship as the 11th team next season, as part of a project launched in partnership with American automotive giant General Motors and TWG Global.
According to Lowdon, since their entry was confirmed in March, Cadillac has been contacted by “a long list of very, very good drivers who are keen” on securing one of the two new Formula 1 seats.
Multiple race winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, who lost their seats at the end of the last season, are considered leading candidates. Former Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu and Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich have also been linked to potential seats.
Lowdon noted: “The good thing is we know a lot of the drivers who are out there.”
This includes both younger drivers progressing from Formula 2 and more experienced drivers with extensive Formula 1 experience. The team maintains regular contact and spends time within the racing paddock.
“The main focus up to now has been building the car,” Lowdon said. “If we reach Melbourne and there was no car for a driver to drive, then nobody would thank us at all.”
“But that said, we are advancing discussions with a number of drivers.”
“We won`t be announcing anything at Silverstone as such. But, I would say, watch this space.”
Bottas` Cadillac Post: A Hint?
Valtteri Bottas, currently a Mercedes reserve driver after leaving his Sauber race seat at the end of last season, recently caused a stir on social media by posting a video next to a Cadillac road car and asking: “Do we like this seat?”
Lowdon commented on the post: “I saw that post – well, it shows he`s bought a Cadillac!”
“But in terms of selecting the drivers, there`s a real mix of skills and we`re very lucky at the minute. We`re out of synchronisation with the other teams at present, we`ve got a little bit of time and we can spend that time making sure that when we do announce the driver line-up, it`ll be the right one.”
“We hope that the fans will be excited by it as well, and hopefully excited by the fact that there`s a new team on the grid that they can follow.”
Lowdon on the Challenge: Starting from the Back
Lowdon discussed the preparation timeline for their first race in Melbourne: “It`s a number that`s on the wall of every office that we have. We have a countdown clock… so everyone`s acutely aware of the timeline.”
He confirmed: “We`re on target.”
And added: “We`ve been in the wind tunnel with a `26 car for quite some time.”
Reflecting on the difficulty of competing at the highest level, Lowdon, who has previous F1 management experience (with Manor/Marussia), stated: “It`s super difficult. It`s intensely competitive, it really, really is.”
“…there is a regulation change so we are yet to see how other teams will adapt to that but no new team coming into Formula 1 has any right, in reality, to be anywhere other than the back of the grid. So obviously our challenge is to try and move forward and we`ve got all the right ingredients.”
“Whilst we are very realistic about the task in hand… I think it is important to have ambition and you can see from TWG and from Cadillac, this is a team that does have vision and ambition to move forward. But we know how difficult that is.”
Marcus Prine