Cadillac, General Motors’ luxury car brand, is set to debut their first F1 car in just five months, with the 2026 F1 season commencing early with pre-season testing in Barcelona from January 26-30.
However, the team have yet to sign any drivers for the upcoming season, which begins at the Montmelo circuit – the venue marking the start of a new era in F1 regulations.
Many expect Valtteri Bottas or Sergio Perez, if not both, to lead Cadillac’s driver line-up in their debut season. But concerns about this are now growing.
McLaren junior driver Alex Dunne appears on Cadillac’s radar
Even though Cadillac understand the potential value of Perez’s experience and sponsorship backing, they haven’t committed to him yet, and his chances of joining their 2026 line-up seem to be getting slimmer by the day.
According to GPblog, Cadillac are still deciding who should partner Bottas for their debut season. While Perez has always been a strong candidate, the team remain open to bringing in a rookie such as Felipe Drugovich or Alex Dunne.
Drugovich has recently emerged as the preferred option for that rookie slot, with hopes that he could develop into a future team leader. But Dunne’s strong start in Formula 2 this year has put him firmly on Cadillac’s radar.
Bottas is prepared for the challenge of helping build up Cadillac from the ground up and understands just how difficult that job will be. Most around the paddock expect Cadillac to struggle early on when they join as a Ferrari customer team.
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Alex Dunne is fighting for the 2025 Formula 2 title as a rookie
Dunne made his F1 weekend debut during FP1 at Austria this past June, filling in for Lando Norris. Despite it being his first time in an F1 car, he finished just behind Oscar Piastri by only 0.069 seconds.
His performance even led Karun Chandhok to suggest McLaren should look into loaning him out to Cadillac next year. With Norris and Piastri both under long-term contracts, finding space for him at McLaren will not be easy.
Damon Hill called Dunne’s debut “meteoric,” noting his quick transition from McLaren FP1 to his Rodin Formula 2 campaign.
The 19-year-old driver is currently fifth in Formula 2, 30 points behind the leader due to earlier penalties.
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