Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas will return Equation 1 The grid begins next season after Cadillac announced the signing of veteran drivers’ debut pairing.
The GM-backed team said on Tuesday that Mexico and Finns had years of deals.
Pérez is the six-time champion, while Bottas has won 10 wins for Mercedes, both failing to finish after being dropped by Red Bull and Sauber teams in 2024 respectively.
Despite some young prospects being touted, Cadillac’s roster is expected.
“We believe their experience, leadership and technical acumen are really what we need,” said team CEO Dan Towriss. “It’s the right combination – the right driver at the right time – and we’re humbled by their belief in us in this project.”
The two spent years with Pérez, two great players in the sport, along with four-time world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull and Bottas and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Since then, they have also started over 500 games – Perez has 281 and Bottas 246 – with a total of 106 podiums.
Towriss said Perez was particularly eager to put the “rearview mirror” in his last season when his Red Bull suffered a drastic downturn. “We had questions, we doubted… He answered all of our questions and passed the test in bright colors,” Towriss added.
Cadillac will use the Ferrari Power Nut until 2029 General Motors hopes to have its own steep learning curve, the 11th team at the beginning of a new era of maneuvering.
Pérez and Bottas – serving as Mercedes Reserve this season – said they were happy to start over.
“It’s not just a racing project; it’s a long-term vision. There’s not a chance every day to be something built from scratch and shape it into something that really belongs to the F1 grid,” Bottas said. “I’m honored to work with some of the best teams in the world, and I can already see the same professionalism and hunger here.”
Cadillac will be the fifth team in Pérez’s career, excluding racing points, another name that continues in India, and the Mexicans are looking forward to another chapter.
“I’m honored to be such an ambitious and meaningful project from the start,” he said. “I’m together and believe we can help shape the team into a true contender.”
Team principal Graeme Lowdon sent a “bold signal of intention” to an American team, ultimately hoping to have an American driver and challenge for victory and championships.
“They have seen everything, and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula One. But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team,” he said. “When we bring this team to life, their leadership, feedback, the instincts of racing, and of course, their speed will be priceless.”
Towriss and GM president Mark Reuss acknowledged Mexico as a major market for automakers, but said business considerations were not a factor in driver choice.
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