The Formula 1 grid will expand for the first time in a decade next year following the confirmation Cadillac will join the field.
The opening race of the 2026 F1 season will see 22 cars on the grid. But which drivers will grab the two places at F1’s newest team?
Any new arrival on the grid is always going to value experience. Last year’s upheaval in the driver market means Cadillac could easily pair up two drivers who have started hundreds of grands prix and won more than a few.
However at least one rookie driver has already been linked to the team as well. And there is always the possibility Cadillac could hire one of the 20 drivers already on the grid.
Current drivers
George Russell
With most drivers at top teams locked in beyond the current season, George Russell is the most obvious target for Cadillac. Whether Mercedes firm up his contract for future seasons will be a significant point of interest this year.
Yuki Tsunoda
Red Bull overlooked Yuki Tsunoda for promotion at the end of last year, so now he is beginning his fifth season in the second, junior team. Tsunoda would bring experience at likely a low cost and he’s matured considerably since his early days in F1.
Former drivers
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas is a multiple race winner with stacks of experience at a multiple-championship-winning team. He’d be an obvious target for a new team – potentially the only factor working against him is he’s not the only driver with such an attractive CV. His recent experience at a Ferrari customer team should also count in his favour as Cadillac will use prancing horsepower next year.
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Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez is another driver with similar credentials to Bottas, though he suffered a bruising ejection from Red Bull after the end of last season. Having an enormously popular driver from north America in the team could be a bonus for Cadillac’s marketing division, in much the same way F1’s other US team arrived with Esteban Gutierrez.
Daniel Ricciardo
On paper, Daniel Ricciardo is a terrific candidate for Cadillac: Not only is he an experienced, accomplished driver with multiple grand prix wins, he has great name recognition from his starring appearances in Drive to Survive. However his career appears to be over following his struggles with the current generation of cars at McLaren and RB.
Kevin Magnussen
If Kevin Magnussen does return to F1 it won’t be the first resurrection of his grand prix career – he returned before after exits from McLaren and Haas.
Logan Sargeant
If Cadillac decide they must have an American driver, there’s only one available who’s already raced in F1. However Sargeant’s career came to an ignominious end last year when, having already learned Williams would drop him at the end of the season, he was shown the door nine races early.
Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu didn’t distinguish himself over three years alongside Bottas, but he’d likely be an inexpensive choice and has used Ferrari power units before.
Mick Schumacher
Ejected by Haas after just two seasons, Mick Schumacher is clearly keen to find a way back into F1, but Cadillac might have the same concerns over him that they do Sargeant.
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New drivers
Colton Herta
Nine-times IndyCar race-winner Colton Herta has long been associated with this project through his connection to Andretti. He’s quick enough that Red Bull tried to get him into their second F1 team but were thwarted by the FIA’s superlicence points system which awards fewer point to IndyCar drivers than those in Formula 3. Herta appears somewhat embittered by that experience and has recently played down his chances of getting into F1, even though he now meets the FIA’s criteria.
Alex Palou
If Cadillac chooses to go driver shopping in IndyCar they couldn’t do better than Alex Palou, who has become the series’ new star, winning three titles in his first five years.
Felipe Drugovich
The 2022 Formula 2 champion has unquestionably paid his dues in the junior categories and has waited patiently for a chance to make his F1 debut. That opportunity has not come yet at Aston Martin and he must surely be considering a move elsewhere.
Theo Pourchaire
Drugovich’s successor flitted around last year, making a brief appearance in Super Formula, then switching to IndyCar where he appeared to find a home at McLaren, only to lose his place.
Jak Crawford
A former Red Bull junior, now backed by Aston Martin, Cadillac would be wise to keep an eye on how Crawford gets on in F2 this year as his experience of F1 circuits could make him a better pick among the potential US drivers.
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Over to you
Which two drivers do you think Cadillac should target for its Formula 1 team? Have your say in the comments.
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