F1 fans all say the same thing as Cadillac confirm Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as their 2026 driver line-up

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Cadillac have finally confirmed their debut driver line-up after signing Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez to lead the General Motors brand’s arrival in F1 in the 2026 season.

Questions had been bubbling away for months about who would guide the Cadillac squad in the pinnacle of motorsport next year since Formula 1 formally approved the General Motors brand’s entry in March. Now, the wait is over, with Bottas and Perez set to return to the grid.

Bottas and Perez both marked Cadillac as their preferred routes back into the field after the pair of veteran racers fell off the grid at the end of the 2024 F1 season. Audi elected against giving Bottas a new deal at Sauber for 2025, while Red Bull bought Perez out of his contract.

Yet the vast experience that the pair of 35-year-olds can offer a new team at the start of F1’s 2026 regulations era has tempted Cadillac to sign Bottas and Perez. Team principal Graeme Lowdon had considered signing only one experienced driver and pairing them with a rookie.

F1 fans think Cadillac have made an ‘epic’ choice by signing Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez

Bottas secured 10 wins and 67 podiums from the Finn’s 246 career Grand Prix starts, as well as 20 pole positions, from 2013 to 2024. Perez, meanwhile, earned six wins and 39 podiums from the Mexican’s 281 starts, along with three poles, between the 2011 and 2024 seasons.

READ MORE: All to know about General Motors’ Cadillac F1 Team from engine to factory

Cadillac overlooked an array of alternative targets to sign Bottas and Perez as their debut F1 driver line-up for the 2026 season. Lowdon spoke with several other drivers, including Mick Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu, Felipe Drugovich, Jak Crawford and Colton Herta, about a drive.

But F1 fans flocked to Cadillac’s announcement post on X to delight in the GM brand signing Bottas and Perez to be their debut driver line-up for 2026. One fan shared, “I’m so excited”, another wrote, “Yesss! So excited!”. Another fan also reacted by sharing: “Wow! Love it!”

One fan called Cadillac’s debut driver line-up of Bottas and Perez, “Epic”, as well. While one fan said, “Woooooaaahhhh!” Another fan also reacted to Cadillac signing Bottas and Perez ahead of the 2026 season by saying: “That’s one good line-up for a new team. Good luck!”

Mick Schumacher is in line to be Cadillac’s reserve driver after missing out on a race seat

Bottas and Perez will now hope to help Cadillac adapt quickly to the demands of Formula 1, and may soon be joined by another driver at the GM brand’s factory in Silverstone. Cadillac are targeting Schumacher for an F1 reserve driver role, after overlooking him for a race seat.

READ MORE: Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin

It is thought that Perez has signed a multi-year contract with Cadillac, which will keep him at the GM brand through the 2027 F1 season with an option for 2028. The contract would give Cadillac the scope to reset their driver line-up before General Motors builds a works engine.

GM has committed to designing a factory power unit for Cadillac by the 2029 F1 season. The team will buy engines from Ferrari for their first three seasons, which even opens a door for Cadillac to potentially hold a Testing of Previous Car (TPC) run in an older Ferrari car in 2025.