P1racenews AI automatic summary:
As Cadillac arrives in F1 with two race-winning drivers, we rank its line-up against the previous nine new teams’ first driver choices
Cadillac will debut as the 10th new Formula 1 team in the last 30 years during the 2026 Australian Grand Prix with drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, forming a strong race-winning lineup.
When compared to past debutant teams, Cadillac’s pairing stands out, prompting a ranking discussion among experts Edd Straw, Scott Mitchell-Malm, Matt Beer, and Josh Suttill.
Ranking 10th is HRT from 2010, with drivers Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna facing challenges and struggling to compete in a season that saw them benched before the summer break.
In 9th place is Lola from 1997, featuring Vincenzo Sospiri and Ricardo Rosset, who had the potential but never got a fair chance due to the team’s collapse before racing.
Scott Mitchell-Malm highlighted the significant gap between driver quality and car performance in Lola’s case, while panelists agreed that both teams faced difficulties that hindered their success in F1.
