Cadillac boss leaves door open to F1 2027 driver line-up changes

Cadillac boss Marcin Budkowski has left the door open for potential changes to his driver line-up in F1 2027, as he opted against clarifying the team’s position during the Friday press conference in Texas.

The current driver line-up of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas has been expected to continue on into next year, but recent paddock whispers have suggested that Cadillac is weighing up other options.

Marcin Budkowski keeps Cadillac’s 2027 driver line-up options open

For the first year of the American team’s foray into Formula 1, an experienced driver line-up of race winners was chosen to help accelerate the squad’s learning abilities while providing safe hands to ensure a maximisation of mileage on any given weekend.

Seasoned racers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were chosen, with both being race winners during lengthy spells at front-running teams; Perez raced for four years at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, while Bottas spent five years alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

The exact durations for their deals with Cadillac have never been formally communicated, although sources have suggested that Perez is on a two-year deal, with an option for a third, while Bottas’ situation is said to be that of an option deal for ’27.

Against the backdrop of this, Cadillac has handed FP1 outings and backing to Formula 2 racer Colton Herta, with the American driver closing in on the super licence points total needed to be awarded the mandatory licence needed for Formula 1.

While Perez is widely expected to continue with his position not under threat, a spotlight has fallen upon Bottas in recent races, with his seemingly assured position for next season said to be less secure than it had been.

A disparity in approaches to race weekends as Cadillac focused on learning, rather than outright performance, may have been a key factor in the difference in performance levels for a large portion of this season, but sources have suggested that, as the season has advanced, the superiority of Perez has raised eyebrows within the American team.

The situation, at present, is said to still favour Bottas to continue, with sources suggesting that the team would only benefit from the momentum of familiarity and the build-up of knowledge together into 2027; momentum that would disappear if the team plumped for a new face.

The arrival of seasoned veteran Esteban Ocon on the driver market is said to have merited consideration, although the indications at present are that the French driver is not seen as a significant enough upgrade to merit the disruption.

But noises from around the team suggest that Bottas does need to more closely match Perez going forward, if he is to be assured of retaining his seat.

On Friday, Cadillac team boss Marcin Budkowski was asked for his impression of Perez’s performance level this season, and whether he is considering having Ocon in the mix, perhaps as a reserve driver.

“For a driver like Checo [Perez], who has a huge amount of experience and a number of races, I can tell you he doesn’t behave or drive like a driver who’s anywhere close to retirement,” Budkowski said.

“He’s pushing very hard behind the wheel. He’s pushing us very hard also behind the scenes in the debrief rooms and outside, and regularly texting me and other members of the team to push us to improve.

“He’s hungry, he’s motivated, and that’s actually really, really good to see. He does it in his own style.

“We have two drivers. One is more hot, and one is probably more cold, if we could say from there. And they’ve both pushed the team in their own particular ways, but Checo is pushing us very hard.

“Just looking at the way his body language is on the grid when he gets his helmet on, and he gets in the car, he’s getting ready for a fight. There’s a lot of fire. There’s a lot of motivation there.

“So it’s really impressive for a driver of this experience. At the same time, we were getting his feedback and his input in terms of being an experienced driver.

“So yeah, it’s a very good combination.”

Budkowski strongly hinted, although stopped short of outright confirmation, that Ocon’s management has been in touch about a swap to his squad.

“As a team principal, and I’m sure it’s the same with my colleagues, you’re getting calls and contacts from every driver or driver manager that is on the market,” he said.

“So there are a number of drivers and managers who have contacted me. I’m not going to say who it is or who it isn’t, but pretty much all of them that are on the market have been in touch, as you’d expect.

“I think it’s the last place here, as you can imagine, where I would communicate anything about the driver lineup. My marketing and communications department would kill me if I did that!”

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Asked directly by press conference host Tom Clarkson to confirm whether Perez and Bottas have contracts for 2027, Budkowski replied, “This is the last place I would comment on driver contracts in general; I think it’s not something that is done in the press.

“It’s something that will be done by official releases from the team when the time is right.”

Bottas struggled through the Singapore Grand Prix, hampered by needing to handle severe brake management that meant he finished almost a lap down on his teammate.

The Finn has acknowledged some frustrations about the deficit he has to Perez, with the Mexican telling media on Thursday that there was nothing, to his knowledge, to explain why he had such a pace advantage around Marina Bay.

For Bottas, he said he’s reached conclusions as to why he struggled: “It was not one of the finest races, but at least we finished with both cars, which has not always been the case this year.

“I think my DNF rate is about 50%, so that’s why it was good to finish and get to the end. But there’s obviously a lot of management involved.

“A small set-up issue; probably gambled a bit with the strategy and the tyre choice in the beginning. A slow pit stop, things like that. It all adds up. But, yeah, we try again this weekend. It’s a very different track. Another home race for us as a team, so looking forward to it.”

Perhaps the most obvious threat to Bottas’ seat is if the American squad opts to gamble on promoting Colton Herta, despite his difficulties in adjusting to Formula 2 this year.

Driving the MAC-26 in FP1 at COTA, Herta completed the session without issue and, afterwards, Budkowski praised his efforts as he spoke to Sky Sports F1.

“He did a good job for us today; he gave us good feedback. For the team, it was important to collect data and prepare for the race,” he said.

Asked by Martin Brundle about Herta’s super licence situation, Budkowski’s reply could be interpreted as to a hint of intent: “It’s a point away.”

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