Valtteri Bottas can ‘already see’ something at Cadillac which made Mercedes multiple F1 world champions

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Valtteri Bottas will be switching to Cadillac for the 2026 season alongside Sergio Perez, as the Finn makes his Formula 1 comeback.

It is a significant coup for Cadillac because of Bottas’ experience, both as a recent driver, but also his 13 seasons, which include 10 race wins.

Bottas has spent the 2025 season as the third driver for Mercedes, still attending race weekends. While he’s proven to be an important asset for the team as they embed Andrea Kimi Antonelli, he has also had access to their plans for 2026.

Cadillac will be the 11th team and will see both Bottas and Sergio Perez make their F1 comeback, giving them a safe pair of hands for the new regulation set.

Discussing his move to Cadillac with The Race, Bottas has already noticed one thing at the team which made Mercedes multiple world champions.

Valtteri Bottas sees same ‘hunger’ in Cadillac to win as Mercedes

Bottas has been in talks with Cadillac throughout most of this season, with the Finn teasing the announcement earlier on social media.

He believes the Cadillac project offers “something different – something ambitious but also grounded,” and has elaborated on why he thinks they can win championships.

“It’s not every day that you get a chance to be part of something being built from the ground up and helping shape it into something that truly belongs on the F1 grid,” said Bottas.

“I’ve had the honour of working with some of the best teams in the world, and I can already see the same professionalism and hunger here.

Perez also thinks that Bottas “can help shape this team into a real contender, the team of the Americas,” as he managed to convince the team to take him after his disastrous last season with Red Bull.

Can Cadillac deliver good results in their first year?

The 2026 regulation reset offers a clean slate for teams, but it also brings a lot of unknowns, which is why Cadillac’s lineup is the best they could have got with the drivers available.

Even though there is a lot of younger talent who could have been promoted, with Nelson Piquet Jr urging Cadillac to look at signing at Ferrari junior, Perez and Bottas offer a safe pair of hands.

They are a known quantity amid uncertainty over the power unit situation and how well the chassis will perform for the American outfit.

Once they have established themselves in the midfield or at the top of the field, Cadillac can consider options outside of their current lineup.