Cadillac may regret signing Valtteri Bottas when they hear about his internal ‘image’ at Sauber

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Valtteri Bottas has revived his Formula 1 career with a move to Cadillac for the 2026 season alongside Sergio Perez.

Both drivers are making a comeback after they were ousted by their respective teams at the end of 2024, with Bottas being moved in favour of younger talent Gabriel Bortoleto.

Bottas brings an experienced pair of hands to Cadillac in their debut season, with the Finn even comparing the American operation to Mercedes since he joined.

F1’s 2026 rules will bring radical changes to the chassis and power units, and feedback will be critical, especially after Bottas was given unfiltered access to the Mercedes 2026 project.

While Cadillac might feel like they have a solid lineup, journalist Ralf Bach has revealed what former Sauber team principal Andrea Seidl said about Bottas behind the scenes when speaking on the F1 Insider podcast.

Andreas Seidl says Valtteri Bottas didn’t deliver enough at Sauber

It’s no secret that Bottas was holding out for a drive at Audi when he was at Sauber, especially when their results tailed off.

Sauber’s uptake in form has coincided with the arrival of ex-Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, and Nico Hulkenberg, a driver renowned for his qualifying capabilities.

Hulkenberg earned Sauber their first podium since Perez in 2012 this season, something that was expected from Bottas when he was at the team. Seidl, who managed the operation for four months, felt Bottas wasn’t doing enough to warrant a seat at Audi, according to Bach.

“Back then, Seidl made it very clear in private that neither Bottas nor Zhou were the drivers he wanted in the future because they didn’t deliver enough, especially when it came to qualifying,” said Bach.

“At that time, people were already convinced that Hulkenberg would drive in Q2 and Q3 instead of the two of them with the car they had at that time. Hulkenberg confirmed this theory. Bottas was already considered a discontinued model at Sauber. That was his image.”

Valtteri Bottas is a safe pair of hands in F1’s big regulation change

With his 13 seasons and 10 race victories, Bottas is a proven pair of hands for Cadillac in 2026 along with Perez.

Although it would’ve been exciting for the General Motors management to pursue an American driver or give a chance to another young driver such as Felipe Drugovich, Bottas provides them with a known quantity.

There will be a lot of unknowns for Cadillac next season, given that they are a completely new operation and have only set up shop properly in the last 18 months.

Ralf Schumacher has questioned whether Bottas still has the race pace, but his work in the simulator at Mercedes will no doubt be part of the decision-making for Cadillac.