Driver who impressed Cadillac at Le Mans and Daytona becomes top choice to partner Valtteri Bottas in 2026

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Despite reports that Sergio Perez was close to signing, Valtteri Bottas has been picked by Cadillac to lead the General Motors brand’s first Formula 1 team.

Bottas and Perez have been linked with the role since F1 confirmed Cadillac’s entry in March. Both are eager to return and bring plenty of experience with them.

They left the grid at the end of 2024, following Audi’s decision not to extend Bottas’ contract at Sauber and Red Bull’s termination of Perez’s deal. It was the first season without either driver since their respective debuts in 2013 and 2011.

There had been speculation that Cadillac would go with Perez, but Auto Action now reports that they have chosen Bottas as their lead driver instead, while a Brazilian driver emerges as the main option for the No. 2 role.

Felipe Drugovich is Cadillac’s top choice to join Valtteri Bottas

Talks between Bottas and Cadillac wrapped up during the British Grand Prix, with both sides agreeing on terms. However, the contract still hasn’t been signed, which is holding up the official announcement.

The team values his commitment and personality. Since leaving Sauber, he returned to Mercedes as a reserve driver and has also tested for McLaren this year.

His willingness to dive straight into work at Cadillac’s Silverstone base played a part in their decision too. He’s already been involved in simulator sessions and early development under the 2026 regulations. The team also sees him as a strong mentor for younger drivers coming through.

The team wants someone they can develop into a future leader once Bottas moves on. While there were initial talks with Yuki Tsunoda and Jack Doohan, Cadillac’s team principal Graeme Lowdon has made it clear that Felipe Drugovich is now their primary focus.

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Cadillac’s board was left impressed by Felipe Drugovich’s performance at Le Mans and Daytona

Drugovich has emerged as the top candidate to join Bottas at Cadillac in 2026 after catching the eye of the GM board with his pace and feedback during their campaigns at Le Mans in 2024 and 2025, as well as the most recent Daytona 24.

Lowdon is also keen on Drugovich due to his extensive experience behind the wheel. Since September 2022, he’s logged over 10,000km in F1 cars while serving as Aston Martin’s reserve driver – and notably, he hasn’t put a scratch on any of them.

Drugovich has participated in six FP1 sessions for Aston Martin, along with multiple TPC runs and Pirelli tyre tests. His most recent outing came during FP1 for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, where he was just 0.082 seconds slower than Lance Stroll – though he still hasn’t made an official race start in F1.

Cadillac also spoke with Drugovich during the Japanese Grand Prix, just before his run in Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin in Bahrain. In their last shared FP1 session for Aston Martin back at Abu Dhabi in 2024, Drugovich actually edged out Alonso by 0.033 seconds.

A full-time seat with Cadillac would be a fitting reward for Drugovich given what he’s shown so far. His former MP Motorsport boss Paolo Angilella even called him ‘special’, and it’s hard to argue considering that dominant F2 title win where he finished over Theo Pourchaire by more than a hundred points.

While Drugovich now leads Lowdon’s list of Bottas’ potential teammates, Cadillac have let Mick Schumacher and Zhou Guanyu know they won’t be racing for them next year – despite both having been considered earlier on.