Cadillac F1 favoured younger drivers before crucial Sergio Perez meeting

“Before that, we were looking at a younger driver, but he was fantastic, and the experience really starts to separate itself from those who haven’t been in a seat yet.”

Connor McDonagh

06 Sep 2025

Cadillac have revealed they were leaning towards signing a less experienced driver before Sergio Perez impressed.

Last month, Cadillac announced Perez and Valtteri Bottas as their two drivers for the 2026 F1 season.

They will form Cadillac’s first-ever driver line-up in F1, and the American brand will join the grid next year as the 11th team.

Bottas has been Mercedes’ test and reserve driver after failing to land a full-time drive at Sauber.

Red Bull dropped Perez at the end of 2024 and spent the season on the sidelines.

Bottas was thought to be the frontrunner from the early months of 2025.

However, it was unclear who his teammate would be, given Cadillac’s options.

Speaking during FP3 at the Italian Grand Prix, Cadillac chief Dan Towriss revealed that they were seriously considering “a young driver” before a crucial meeting with Perez.

“Do you want to race again? Where was he at in his career?,” Towriss told David Croft in final practice at Monza.

“What were his aspirations? And was he excited about the project, and what was he looking to do? What did he have left to prove in his career?

“And so as he went through that meeting, Checo’s experience just really came through him. He nailed the meeting, and he left really excited about his candidacy.

“Before that, we were looking at a younger driver, but he was fantastic, and the experience really starts to separate itself from those who haven’t been in a seat yet.”