Now, let's look at the state of play at Cadillac. Valtteri Bottas is still the favourite to hold onto his seat for 2027, but the picture is far from locked in. With Sergio Perez's future now confirmed, Lawrence Barretto has taken a close look at the choices facing the team.
Bottas signed a multi-year deal to get back on the grid this season after spending a year on the sidelines as Mercedes' third driver (yes, that Valtteri Bottas). Unfortunately, the team have not yet triggered the option in his contract to keep him in the car for 2027. His comeback year has been plagued by bad luck, culminating in a suspected power unit issue in Austin that handed him his eighth retirement of the season. Only Lance Stroll at Aston Martin has more DNFs, with 11.
All those retirements have made it tough for Bottas to showcase his true speed. Looking at the numbers, his experienced team mate Sergio Perez has had the edge. Cadillac has often split strategies across their two cars to accelerate learning, but the raw stats favour Perez. In qualifying, it is relatively close at 10-8 in favour of Perez, but in races where both cars have reached the finish, Perez leads 6-1. On top of that, the Mexican has set the team's fastest lap at 14 Grands Prix compared to just three for Bottas.
That explains why Cadillac chose to lock down Perez for the foreseeable future before turning their full attention to the second seat. Even so, the team are reportedly happy with the job Bottas has done, particularly in how he has galvanised the squad and articulated his feedback about the machine. With Perez secured, management is now weighing whether to stick to their original strategy of prioritizing experience or mix things up.
Cadillac have always made it clear they want to run an American driver eventually, provided any signing is earned strictly on merit. Colton Herta is already on their books as a test driver. While he sits 19th in the F2 standings after struggling to make an impact, he has seriously impressed the team during four FP1 sessions in a Cadillac this year. He is just one point shy of the super licence requirement, which he can secure by completing 100km of running in another FP1 session. Sources indicate he will jump into the car for first practice in Mexico to grab that final point.
That leaves Cadillac with a very real option to put Herta in the car next year if they pass on Bottas. With nearly every other line-up on the grid completely settled aside from Racing Bulls, the team are in no rush to make their final call. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon is hoping an opportunity might open up after parting ways with Haas, and Red Bull reserve Yuki Tsunoda has also been linked to the vacancy, though both remain outsiders. For now, Bottas is the favourite, but Herta is right there in the fight.
