Valtteri Bottas can breathe easy. In recent days, several reports suggested that Cadillac was seriously considering replacing the Finnish driver after a disappointing start to the season, with reserve and test driver Colton Herta frequently mentioned as a potential successor.
However, those rumours overlooked a significant detail: Colton Herta does not currently possess the Super Licence points required to compete in Formula 1. As a result, he would not even be eligible to replace Valtteri Bottas if the need arose.
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon has now moved decisively to put an end to the speculation.
Graeme Lowdon rejects the rumours
Speaking to RacingNews365, Graeme Lowdon left no room for interpretation regarding the reports surrounding Valtteri Bottas’ future.
“There isn’t a shred of truth in any of these rumours, and I can say that without any doubt. I want to be very clear: they are completely false. There is nothing true about them. If we look at the work both drivers are doing, it goes far beyond what drivers at other teams are asked to do because they are not only racing, they are also helping to build the team. Nobody knows what we are asking of them session after session, race after race, and throughout the development process,” he said.
The comments underline the confidence Cadillac continues to place in both Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as the American team works through its debut Formula 1 campaign.
Bottas stays, Herta must wait
Graeme Lowdon also criticised the quality of some of the speculation, pointing out that certain reports appeared to ignore basic Formula 1 regulations.
“Some of these rumours don’t even seem to take basic Formula 1 rules into account. You read that we should replace Valtteri with Colton, but Colton doesn’t have enough points for a Super Licence. That tells you a lot about the quality of these stories. “And there is also nothing true about the rumours suggesting that Checo wants to move to another team,” he added.
The message from Cadillac is therefore clear. Despite the speculation, the team remains fully committed to its current driver line-up of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, and management appears satisfied with the contribution both drivers are making on and off the track.
For now, any talk of an early driver change appears unfounded, while Colton Herta’s Formula 1 ambitions will have to remain on hold until he secures the Super Licence requirements needed to compete at the highest level of motorsport.
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