The new Cadillac F1 team is making significant progress in talks with several drivers as they evaluate options for their inaugural 2026 season lineup, according to Team Principal Graeme Lowdon.
Cadillac is set to join the Formula 1 grid as the 11th team. This project is a collaboration between American automotive giant General Motors and TWG Global, which also has investments in sports entities such as Chelsea and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lowdon mentioned that since their entry was confirmed in March, the prospect of two new seats on the F1 grid starting next year has led to Cadillac being contacted by `a long list of very, very good drivers who are keen`.
Speculation suggests that multiple race winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are among the top candidates, particularly given uncertainties around their current placements. Former Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu and Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich are also reported to be linked with a possible seat.
Speaking in an interview ahead of the British Grand Prix, Team Principal Graeme Lowdon commented on the driver pool: “The good thing is we know a lot of the drivers who are out there.”
He added that this includes “Both the younger guys who have been coming up through Formula 2 and also the more established drivers who have a lot of Formula 1 experience. We talk to these people all of the time and we try and spend time in the paddock as well.”
Lowdon emphasized the team`s priority thus far: “The main focus up to now has been building the car. I think 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,” he confirmed.
He concluded on the topic by saying, “We won`t be announcing anything at Silverstone as such. But, I would say, watch this space.”
Bottas`s Social Media Post Sparks Speculation
Valtteri Bottas, who lost his Sauber race seat at the end of last season, recently sparked rumors with a social media post. He shared a video next to a Cadillac road car, asking, “Do we like this seat?”
When asked about the significance of the post, Lowdon remarked, “I saw that post – well, it shows he`s bought a Cadillac!”
He added regarding driver selection, “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 concluded on this point.
Lowdon on the Challenge: Starting from the Back
Discussing the project timeline leading up to the first race in Melbourne (scheduled for March 6-8), Lowdon stated, “It`s a number that`s on the wall of every office that we have. We have a countdown clock, which shows the time between now and free practice one in Melbourne, 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.”
Lowdon, who has previous F1 management experience (with the former Manor/Marussia team from 2010-2015), spoke about the challenge of competing at motorsport`s top level: “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,” he noted, adding candidly, “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,” Lowdon concluded, “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.”
