Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Bearman disagree over Cadillac snubbing ‘great’ driver for 2026 F1 seat

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Cadillac finally announced their driver lineup for the 2026 F1 season ahead of the resumption of the current campaign, and not everyone on the grid agrees with their decision to bring back two veterans of the sport to fill the seats.

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will drive for Cadillac in the new F1 constructor’s maiden season in the sport. The announcement on Tuesday ended a long-standing debate on who would lead the team on-track when they debut next season.

A number of names were linked with the vacant seats, with many believing that the team would go down the route of hiring one experienced driver and pairing them with a rookie in hopes of building the team around them for the future.

Mick Schumacher was tipped to return to F1 with Cadillac following his departure from the grid in 2023. Cadillac also held talks with Jak Crawford, who was the leading candidate for the American team if they wanted to go down the route of fielding a driver who raced under a US licence.

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

Gabriel Bortoleto believes Felipe Drugovich ‘deserves’ a seat in F1 after his 2022 F2 title win

Gabriel Bortoleto was one of the names linked to a vacant Cadillac seat, with the rookie seriously impressing during his maiden campaign with Sauber.

The move would have been a long shot due to the fact that the 20-year-old is locked into a contract with Sauber until the end of the 2026 season, after they rebrand to Audi.

Speaking in Thursday afternoon’s press conference ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, Bortoleto was asked to share his opinion on the fact that his fellow Brazilian is looking at another season on the sidelines in 2026.

“It’s a big company and they have their goals, it’s not up to me to judge anyone’s decision,” Bortoleto told journalists. “Felipe is a great friend of mine, and I feel like he deserves a chance at F1.

“But it’s not over, and maybe he does get his shot. Everyone who wins F2 should have a chance, but it’s a big company and they have their reasons.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Felipe Drugovich from age to racing stats

Oliver Bearman agrees with Cadillac’s decision to snub Felipe Drugovich for a 2026 F1 seat

In the same media session during Thursday’s press conference, Haas driver Oliver Bearman was also asked to add his thoughts on Drugovich being overlooked by Cadillac.

“There are a lot of people on this grid who have the talent to show what they can do,” The British driver said. “Felipe is one of them, but if I was at the top of an F1 team coming in, I would do exactly the same.”

One of the biggest advantages that Bottas and Perez had over the other Cadillac candidates is the years of experience that both drivers already have under their belts.

Between them, they have nine years’ worth of knowledge from a championship-winning team, winning Grands Prix, taking pole positions and setting fastest laps on the way.