Cadillac boss assures Bottas, Perez signing about ‘way, way more’ than experience

Henry Valantine 26 Aug 2025 5:00 PM

Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon.

Cadillac F1 team principal Graeme Lowdon has insisted Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez have not been brought in for their experience alone.

Bottas and Perez have been confirmed as Cadillac’s driver line-up for the team’s Formula 1 debut next season, with the pair bringing Constructors’ title-winning experience and multiple race victories to the team.

Cadillac boss: Bottas and Perez ‘very, very quick race drivers’

Additional reporting by Mat Coch

Both Bottas and Perez found themselves out of a drive for 2025 when Sauber announced Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto would race for the team, with Bottas finding his way back to Mercedes in a reserve role.

Perez, meanwhile, finished the 2024 season with Red Bull before being replaced by Liam Lawson for 2025.

Both drivers saw negotiations progress with Cadillac and, while Lowdon acknowledged how their combined 527 race starts in Formula 1 to date was a factor in the team’s decision-making, their speed remains the primary barometer with Cadillac.

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When asked if he was excited by the team’s new line-up, Lowdon told media including PlanetF1.com: “I am.

“Bringing a new team into Formula 1, as we all know, doesn’t happen very often at all, and to bring in one that’s backed by not just a huge automotive manufacturer, but one with such a strong brand as Cadillac, is even rarer.

“So to be able to do it with two incredibly experienced drivers – and we will talk a lot about experience as well – but I should stress as well, these guys are quick.

“They’re not hired just for the number of grands prix that they’ve entered. The experience is important, but these are two very, very quick race drivers.

“So, for me, it’s a real pleasure and an honour. These are two guys who I know, and I can’t wait to go racing with them.”

Lowdon explained how the team was “out of synchronisation” with the rest of the driver market, given how most other teams had signed their drivers to multi-year deals to navigate Formula 1’s mass regulation changes next year.

While “quite a fraught process” in the past, the Cadillac team boss explained how the American marque was able to make use of the comparatively calm driver market to sign their two targets.

“We had a lot of things on our minds, and a lot of decisions that needed to be made, but one of the things that that we benefited from, to some extent, was some stability in the market,” Lowdon explained.

“It meant we could spend a lot of time talking to talk to Valtteri, and Valtteri has mentioned we had discussions for a considerable amount of time now, and talking to Checo as well, and also talking to other other drivers.

“I think the natural feel was that experience was going to be one of the key things, but we actually had time to kind of test that as well, in being able to talk to a lot of drivers, have some time to really think about it.

“I’ve had the benefit of bringing a new team in before, so I know some of the pitfalls and some of the attributes for drivers are really quite important, but also, Formula 1 changes all the time and the challenge changes all the time.

“It wasn’t just a case of ‘let’s just look for two people who know where the paddock is’, it’s way, way more than that.

“’26 itself as a regulation set presents new challenges for drivers as well, so that’s a different part of the decision making.

“We did take our time, as everyone knows, but it was an important decision and it’s really key that we get it right, and we’ve got every confidence now that we’re going into into racing next year with just a super, super strong line-up. It just feels right as well, [it] feels comfortable.”