Cadillac F1 driver is already facing ‘serious risk’ of losing his seat for 2027

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Valtteri Bottas is under pressure at Cadillac just five races into their debut season, and the team already have a replacement in mind.

Cadillac brought Bottas back to F1 a year on from his Sauber exit. He had spent the 2025 campaign as Mercedes’ reserve driver.

The team went all in on experience for their first campaign, pairing Bottas with Sergio Perez, who had also sat out 2025 after leaving Red Bull. Between them, the two drivers boast well over 500 race starts and more than 100 podiums.

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Valtteri Bottas could lose Cadillac F1 seat to Colton Herta

According to Roberto Chinchero of Sky Italy, Cadillac bosses are already discussing Bottas’ future. There’s a ‘serious risk’ that he will be ‘cut’ from their line-up before 2027.

Teammate Perez, who’s also 36, ‘isn’t looking to retire’ from F1 but isn’t guaranteed a seat for next year either.

Cadillac gave Bottas and Perez multi-year deals, but there may be break clauses involved.

Reserve driver Colton Herta is the standout contender to replace Bottas, or indeed Perez, if a change is made. Chinchero says the Formula 2 driver’s ‘stock is rising’.

Neither of Cadillac’s veterans have come close to scoring a point or escaping Q1 yet, such is the team’s lack of performance at the start of their F1 journey.

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Perez has been the quicker of the two in qualifying trim so far, though his lead in the head-to-head is narrow (5-4).

It may be that Cadillac only ever saw the Perez/Bottas combination as a short-term arrangement, designed to navigate them through the initial wilderness.

The team have made it clear that they’re keen to give an American driver an opportunity as long as they can do so on merit.

Herta has made an indifferent start to his F2 career. As of the Montreal Sprint, he sits 14th in the championship, but Cadillac will give him time, aware that results in the feeder series aren’t the only measure of talent.