F1 staff now being offered ‘three times’ their salary to join rival team ahead of the 2026 season

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One team preparing for the 2026 Formula 1 season are trying to attract the best staff possible from their rivals with just a few months left to prepare for next year.

The 2026 Formula 1 season is set to see plenty of changes up and down the paddock.

The cars on track will look different, as F1’s regulations are changing, with a new aerodynamics ruleset in place and narrower cars and tyres.

Right now, there have only been two driver changes confirmed for next year.

Cadillac will be making their Formula 1 debut and have brought back two of the most experienced drivers in the sport’s history.

Valtteri Bottas is leaving his role as Mercedes’ reserve driver, and he’ll be joined by Mexican star Sergio Perez.

The American team are already on the back foot, having only discovered in March that they had received final approval to make their debut next season.

However, they’re already doing everything they can behind the scenes to catch up to their rivals.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon thinks Cadillac are the first team to test their 2026 chassis, and now, they’re hoping to bring in some expertise from rival teams to help build up their staffing levels.

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

Formula 1 staff being offered ‘three times’ their salary by Cadillac ahead of the 2026 season

A report from Blick has shared more details about Cadillac’s endeavours to strengthen their team.

As well as simulating full race weekends without being at the track, Cadillac are set to use an old Ferrari to start testing.

Cadillac were expected to miss their staffing targets, as they simply can’t hire people quickly enough to build the team up, as well as the added issue of many Formula 1 outfits adding long gardening leave clauses to key personnel’s contracts.

Having previously suggested that Cadillac were willing to double people’s salaries, Lowdon’s team are now going one better and luring people with ‘three times the salary of their previous employer.’

It’s a bold strategy, especially when you consider how much Toyota spent in Formula 1 to never win a race.

However, if it pays off, then Cadillac will consider any additional staff an absolute bargain.

READ MORE: Ted Kravitz suspects Sergio Perez’s Cadillac could have an advantage over Red Bull in one vital area

Toto Wolff’s previous concerns about Cadillac before their F1 entry was confirmed

Before F1 confirmed Cadillac’s General Motors-backed entry, Wolff was asked about the prospective team in January in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport.

He explained: “If Cadillac now comes with a factory effort and invests a corresponding marketing budget in Formula 1, then that will be an added value for Formula 1.

“In the first instance, we lose.

“We don’t know what Cadillac will invest in Formula 1. The compensation payment, currently reported at $450 million [£330m], is too low.

“It doesn’t compensate for the direct loss of income. Only time will tell what the sport will gain from an eleventh participant.

“If that number increases, then everyone wins. But we don’t know. No one has spoken to me about exactly what Cadillac plans to do.”

Cadillac might be even less welcome in the paddock if they continue to poach staff off their new rivals.

Alpine were particularly vulnerable to Cadillac’s approaches, which might create an early rivalry for Lowdon’s team, particularly as they hired Bottas and Perez amid interest from the French outfit.