Cadillac Seeks Drivers for 2026
With summer approaching, drivers without contracts for next season are starting to look around to avoid being left “out in the cold.” Top teams will likely make high-profile decisions if the market heats up over a possible Max Verstappen departure from Red Bull, leaving mostly second-tier teams “exposed.”
The main F1 seat opportunities are with Cadillac, which must fill both seats for its debut in 2026. Mario Andretti’s plan, as is known, is to pair an experienced driver with a young American. However, since in Formula 1 not everything goes as planned, Mario Andretti might reconsider and turn to different profiles.
Andretti’s Words
“Big Foot,” Cadillac’s senior consultant with great influence over driver choices, admitted that the idea of hiring an American might be postponed: “Especially at the start, you have to go by merit. If right now we think we need to wait a season before signing an American driver, then that’s how it will be,” he told Fox Sports. “Ideally, we’d like to say for sure that we already have the American. At one point, we could have thought so, but we want to keep that option open.”
Andretti was likely referring to Colton Herta, who cannot be launched in F1 until he obtains the Super Licence. To get it, he must earn the necessary points this IndyCar season to reach a total of 40, but the championship start is not promising (he is ninth after five weekends).
If Colton Herta cannot race in 2026, drivers ready to step in include Alex Palou, Mick Schumacher, and reserves from existing teams such as Pato O’Ward, Guanyu Zhou, and Felipe Drugovich. For the experienced driver role, Andretti confirmed that Sergio Perez is a solid option: “Checo is definitely one of the drivers to consider. The choice is quite limited: many top talents are already under contract. Fortunately, there are still three or four who deserve to be considered. Some conversations are ongoing, and I’m encouraged by the positive reaction from drivers wanting to come to us.”
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