Cadillac are now establishing a plan that will ‘benefit’ Sergio Perez over Valtteri Bottas

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Cadillac are still five months away from their Formula 1 debut with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, but plans are starting to take shape at the team’s Silverstone factory.

The General Motors brand will hit the grid in the pinnacle of motorsport for the first time in Melbourne, when the 2026 F1 calendar kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix next March. Australia will also see returns to F1’s grid for Perez and Bottas, after they signed for Cadillac.

Cadillac have signed Perez and Bottas on two-year contracts ahead of their first F1 season, as team principal Graeme Lowdon chose to prioritise experience over starting with a rookie. Perez and Bottas have 527 Grand Prix starts between them, as well as 16 wins and 23 poles.

Lowdon is now putting the final pieces of the puzzle into place at the GM brand’s factory, as Cadillac embark on a sizable recruitment drive from rival F1 teams. The American crew, who will gradually move to the USA over the coming years, boast one of the smallest workforces.

Cadillac are establishing a plan to have Sergio Perez in ‘a lot’ of their technical meetings

Lowdon is also now establishing a plan to integrate Perez into Cadillac’s technical meetings, which Bottas cannot currently join. Bottas will remain Mercedes’ reserve driver for the rest of the 2025 season before the 36-year-old can officially start his first day as a Cadillac driver.

READ MORE: All to know about General Motors’ Cadillac F1 team from engine to drivers

Former Manor team principal Lowdon believes it will help Perez and Cadillac “a lot” to have the 35-year-old’s insights guide the direction of their development. Lowdon is having to rely on his knowledge of what Bottas liked while at Sauber, as he is also Zhou Guanyu’s manager.

Lowdon told F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast: “We have to respect boundaries. Valtteri is not racing their car week-in, week-out. So, he’s got [the] capacity now to think about the future, but we can’t talk about technical things and this, that and the other.

“It helps I know Valtteri pretty well. I’ve been close to him for the last few years. So, I’ve got a good idea of what he likes and what he doesn’t like, and that kind of thing. But even just having time for those conversations helps a lot. And these guys know what they’re doing.

“Checo hasn’t had the benefit of being in the paddock the whole time, like Valtteri. But we’ve got a programme that we’re planning to just involve him in a lot more of the technical side, because we can, because he’s not contracted to another team. So, I think there’ll be a catch-up on that side pretty quickly.”

Sergio Perez will influence Cadillac’s F1 car that Valtteri Bottas won’t experience until 2026

Lowdon learned what Bottas liked at Sauber while the Finn drove for the Swiss squad beside Zhou from 2022 to 2024. But Cadillac have signed the 36-year-old and also Perez to draw on their experiences at Mercedes from 2017 to ‘21 and Red Bull from 2021-24 respectively.

Cadillac have already tested a prototype 2026 F1 chassis, and are now putting together what will be the General Motors crew’s first race chassis at their Silverstone base. Lowdon wanted the chassis to pass the FIA’s homologation tests early to help Cadillac build their confidence.

Designing Cadillac’s debut F1 car is a huge undertaking, especially given F1’s overhaul of the technical regulations in 2026. And Perez will now get the benefit of having a say in Cadillac’s car design, which Bottas will then have to adapt to once pre-season testing starts in January.