Martin Brundle sends Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez an instant warning after signing for Cadillac

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Martin Brundle believes Cadillac have signed a “great driver line-up” in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, but he has one concern for the General Motors brand’s first recruits.

Cadillac announced the signings of Bottas and Perez on Tuesday after opting to prioritise an experienced partnership to lead their arrival in the pinnacle of motorsport in 2026. The Finn and Mexican will now make up the oldest line-up on the 2026 F1 grid, with both already 35.

Bottas also turns 36 on August 28, while Perez turns 36 on January 26, 2026 – which is also the same date as Cadillac will debut during pre-season testing. The 2026 F1 season will start with a five-day test in Barcelona on January 26-30, due to the extent of the new regulations.

GM secured a spot on the grid for Cadillac at a time when Formula 1 will overhaul its engine and chassis regulations. The 2026 F1 regulations will also introduce active aerodynamics for the first time in history, due to F1’s move to have a 50/50 electrical/combustion power split.

Martin Brundle expects Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will have to ‘park their early frustrations’ at Cadillac

Cadillac can now lean on two experienced F1 drivers to help team principal Graeme Lowdon and executive engineering consultant Pat Symonds prepare for their debut at their factory in Silverstone, following the confirmation of their signings in a dual announcement on Tuesday.

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

Brundle especially believes Bottas and Perez’s vast experience from 246 and 281 Grand Prix starts respectively will be more beneficial for Cadillac than if the General Motors brand had signed a rookie. But Brundle also warns them both to expect a tough start in the 2026 term.

“That’s a great driver line-up,” Brundle wrote on X in reaction to Cadillac signing Bottas and Perez for the 2026 season. “The team need experience and direction in year one, and can’t afford to have rookies damaging cars when all the resources will be heavily stretched.

“They’ll probably have to park their early frustrations as the team gets up and running, especially with such a dramatic regulation reset.”

Cadillac are expected to be the worst team on the 2026 Formula 1 grid

Cadillac will buy engines from Ferrari for the team’s debut in the 2026 season, with General Motors aiming for the 2029 campaign before it produces a factory power unit. Yet questions persist about Ferrari’s 2026 F1 rules engine, with plentiful unknowns about their power unit.

READ MORE: Cadillac driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

There are also lots of questions to be answered about how competitive the car that Lowdon and Symonds are overseeing will be in 2026. Cadillac have one of the smallest workforces in the paddock, so will no doubt rely heavily on the experience that Bottas and Perez now add.

Signing Bottas and Perez makes Cadillac just the third team on the 2026 grid confirmed with two Grand Prix winners in their line-up, along with McLaren (Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri) and Ferrari (Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton). Bottas and Perez have had 10 and six wins.

Bottas sealed all 10 of his Grand Prix victories with Mercedes between 2017 and 2021, over a spell which also yielded all 20 of his pole positions and 58 of his 67 podiums. Perez sealed five of his six wins with Red Bull from 2021 to 2024, plus his three career F1 pole positions.