Cadillac F1 Debut: Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas Eye Progress Over Points

Posted : 09 February 2026

Cadillac is set to make its Formula One debut this season, and while some may expect the new team to finish at the back of the grid, Sergio Perez is determined not to accept last place. The Mexican driver, alongside his experienced Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas, brings a wealth of racing knowledge, with both having claimed multiple race victories throughout their careers.

The General Motors-backed team will take to the track for the first time in Australia on March 8, running Ferrari engines. Since securing their entry as the 11th team on the starting grid, Cadillac has recruited heavily from rival outfits, assembling a roster designed to hit the ground running.

Perez, 36, told Reuters that the team has no intention of adopting a “last place” mentality. Speaking ahead of Cadillac unveiling its 2026 livery with an advertisement during Sunday’s Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California, he said: “Not with the level of investment that has been put in place. We will definitely be very disappointed to finish last. We know we will not win the championship for sure, but we definitely want to make a lot of progress and beat a couple of teams.”

After spending last year away from racing following his departure from Red Bull, Perez described joining Cadillac as “getting the band back together.” His race engineer at Cadillac, Italian Carlo Pasetti, previously worked with him at Racing Point, now Aston Martin. Perez highlighted the team’s recruitment strategy, noting that people from almost every team he has raced with are now part of Cadillac. “I think this team, this structure, has the capacity to go a very long way in the sport. I think it's going to become a very important team in the future of Formula One,” he said.

Bottas echoed Perez’s optimism, calling Cadillac’s debut a “huge project” and praising the Super Bowl advertisement as a bold statement. With an expected U.S. television and streaming audience exceeding 120 million, the launch aimed to capture the attention of new fans. “From the beginning I knew the team is going all in. And of course we're trying to reach new fans… it’s going to reach quite a few eyeballs, which is good,” Bottas said.

The Finn acknowledged that matching Cadillac’s ambition on track would take time and emphasized learning from his previous experiences with Williams, Mercedes, and Sauber. “I'm prepared that it could be a tough start. And I don't mind if we don't start in a great way. Of course I want to. But if we don't, then that's where we are. It's not really where we start from, it's where we end up together. And that's the motivation,” he added.

Cadillac F1 Debut: Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas Eye Progress Over Points

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