P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The Cadillac F1 team is taking shape as it has now reached an agreement with a driver to fill its second seat for the 2026 season.
Cadillac has reached an agreement with Sergio Perez to bring him back to F1 for the 2026 season, according to reports from RacingNews365 and Formula.hu.
Perez left the F1 grid at the end of the 2024 season after a challenging year with Red Bull but has expressed his interest in returning to the right project.
Valtteri Bottas has also signed with Cadillac for the upcoming season, making a comeback to F1.
The official announcement of Cadillac’s 2026 driver line-up, which is expected to include both Bottas and Perez, is anticipated to be made early next week.
This marks Cadillac’s return to the F1 field, expanding the grid to more than 10 teams for the first time since 2016.
Despite the consideration of younger drivers, Cadillac, led by Graeme Lowdon, prioritized experience, aiming for a race-winning line-up with Bottas and Perez.
Both drivers have a combined total of over 500 grand prix starts and a significant number of wins, affirming Cadillac’s ambitions in the upcoming season.
Sergio Perez will likely begin integrating with Cadillac through TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) this year, utilizing an older Ferrari car before the team’s official partnership with Ferrari in 2026.
Max Verstappen, Perez’s former teammate at Red Bull, praised Perez’s return to F1 and expressed confidence in his capabilities, highlighting his consistent point-scoring performances in previous seasons.
