Cadillac will be doing ‘cartwheels’ if they can convince £1.5m-a-year F1 driver to sign for the 2026 season

Follow us on Google Discover

Cadillac F1 chiefs will be well aware of how quickly the next six months will fly by before they’re preparing to take part in pre-season testing for the first time.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon has commented on multiple occasions that Cadillac’s driver line-up is not a priority at this stage in the team’s preparations.

There is talk that Cadillac are unlikely to hire their target number of staff, which will put more pressure on getting their first Formula 1 car ready for next January.

A behind-closed-doors test awaits them in Barcelona, although Cadillac will already be at a disadvantage with testing brought forward several weeks compared to the last few seasons.

By the time they head to the Circuit de Catalunya, Lowdon and Cadillac chiefs would have decided their preferred line-up for their Formula 1 debut.

Valtteri Bottas has been heavily linked with Cadillac, as he looks to return to F1 after being dropped by Sauber.

Names like Sergio Perez, Zhou Guanyu and Mick Schumacher have also been mentioned when it comes to Formula 1’s 11th team.

However, journalist Andrew van Leeuwen believes Cadillac will be delighted if they have the chance to hire Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda next year.

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

Cadillac will be doing ‘cartwheels’ if Yuki Tsunoda is available for the 2026 F1 season

Van Leeuwen was talking about the £1.5m-a-year Red Bull driver on the Full Credit To The Noise Podcast and said: “Obviously, the split with Honda does leave Tsunoda’s place in the Red Bull set up at more risk.

“But having Laurent Mekies take over the leadership at RBR could be a saving grace for him because Mekies knows both Tsunoda and Lawson really well.

“There is a theory out there that he will want to try and keep using the guys that have come through the Red Bull system and through the Racing Bulls system, and won’t necessarily just dump Tsunoda based on the fact he hasn’t matched Max Verstappen this season.

“And even if Tsunoda does end up out the door at Red Bull, and I get that can definitely happen.

“There’s the Honda link to Aston Martin, and there have been rumours that his management has met with Cadillac as well.

“And you’d reckon if the opportunity to sign Tsunoda came up, Cadillac would be doing cartwheels.

“So, I think there’s still a pretty good chance of him being on the F1 grid next season.”

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Jacques Villeneuve questions if Yuki Tsunoda will complete the 2025 season with Red Bull

There are 12 races left in the 2025 season, and arguably, Tsunoda has never faced a bigger challenge in his F1 career.

Tsunoda is out of contract at the end of the season, and all the signs point towards a swift exit during the winter break.

He’s only scored seven points in his 10 race weekends with Red Bull since his promotion from Racing Bulls at his home race at Suzuka.

Isack Hadjar is the favoured driver to replace Tsunoda next season, although the arrival of his old team principal Laurent Mekies as Christian Horner’s replacement might give him the confidence boost he desperately needs.

Jacques Villeneuve has questioned whether Tsunoda will complete the 2025 season as his form is bordering on unacceptable for a team of Red Bull’s calibre.

If he does get released, the conversations Tsunoda’s camp has held with Cadillac will become even more important.