Thrown out of F1, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas make comeback with Cadillac

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are set to make their Formula 1 return in 2026. The new team on the grid, Cadillac, announced the line-up of its drivers on Tuesday, August 26, at the fag end of the mid-season break.

The team confirmed Tuesday the drivers signed multiyear deals, though financial terms were not announced. Bottas, who left Mercedes amidst his growing rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, will be pairing up with Perez, who was thrown out of Red Bull for not matching up with Max Verstappen.

"Signing two very experienced racers like Bottas and Checo (Perez) is a bold signal of intent," team principal Graeme Lowdon said in the announcement. "They've seen it all and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1. But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team. Their leadership, feedback, race-hardened instincts and of course their speed will be invaluable as we bring this team to life."

Cadillac enters F1 as the circuit's 11th team and just the second American-centric team in F1 history. General Motors is the constructor, operating under the Cadillac brand.

Rather than tap an American driver for one of its cars, however, the new team targeted veteran talent. The drivers have 527 Grand Prix starts and 16 victories between them.

Mexico's Perez was dropped by Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2024 season, but the 35-year-old is not far removed from finishing second in the 2023 F1 championship and third in 2022. He has won six Grand Prix since breaking into the F1 ranks in 2011.

Perez called joining the inaugural F1 team a "huge responsibility."

"Joining the Cadillac Formula 1 Team is an incredibly exciting new chapter in my career," he said. "From our first conversations, I could sense the passion and determination behind this project.

"It's an honor to be part of building a team that can develop together so that, in time, we will fight at the very front."

Bottas, also 35, hails from Finland and drove for four teams from 2013–24, most recently Sauber. He served as a reserve driver for Mercedes and a test driver for McLaren this year.

Bottas finished second overall in 2019 and 2020 and third in 2017 and 2021 while with Mercedes, which won team championships annually from 2017–21.

"This isn't just a racing project; it's a long-term vision," Bottas said.

"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."

"This is an iconic brand with a big legacy in American motorsport, and to be a part of the story as it enters the world stage of F1 is incredibly special for me," he continued. "I'm looking forward to representing the American spirit of racing on the greatest circuits in the world."