Steiner shocks with unexpected Cadillac driver suggestion

Mick Schumacher has received unexpected support for the Cadillac race seat as Guenther Steiner says he ticks all the boxes for the new team.

Cadillac will join the Formula 1 grid next season, the General Motors-backed team signing on as the sport’s official 11th team.

Guenther Steiner reveals his ‘favourites’ for the Cadillac seats

Creating two additional places on the F1 2026 grid, Cadillac has been linked to several former F1 drivers who are seeking a comeback.

Earlier this month, a report claimed the team was on the verge of confirming former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.

However, PlanetF1.com understands from multiple sources that there are no imminent plans to make any announcements as deliberations over the team’s line-up continue.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon’s list is said to also include Valtteri Bottas, with the Finn teasing fans on social media as he examined a Cadillac SUV and noted, “what a nice seat”.

Bottas’ former Sauber team-mate Guanyu Zhou has also frequently been mentioned, while Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan is also in the conversation.

F1 drivers moves: What’s next on the cards?

👉 F1 driver move rankings: What are the next five most likely signings?

👉 Ranked: Valtteri Bottas’ next racing team in order of likelihood

So too is Schumacher.

Although the German has been off the grid for three seasons, his two years as a Mercedes reserve have kept him up to date with the sport, with Lowdon confirming the 26-year-old is in the running.

“Mick is great,” Lowdon told Sky Deutschland. “He’s a very nice guy, I like him a lot. I’ve got to know him better now.

“He’s still young, but he already has Formula 1 experience. Of course, that was a while ago, but he’s kept himself up to date.

“He is no stranger to the team. He knows where we stand. There are some positive things to say about Mick.

“He is clearly one of the drivers on the list. But, I should also say that the list is quite long.”

Schumacher has found a supporter in an unlikely source, his former Haas team principal Steiner.

The Italian wasn’t shy about voicing his criticism of the German after several big crashes in 2022 and launched a tirade after his in-lap accident in Japan where “nobody else managed to write off a car while they were driving back to the pits”, adding that “it’s just f****** ridiculous”.

Steiner decided at the end of that season not to renew Schumacher’s contract, saying: “Mick can become a good driver, or he’s already a good driver, but he can get better… But how long does it take us?

“Because he’s growing with us, he cannot make us grow.”

However, after two seasons as a Mercedes driver and two years in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine, Steiner believes Schumacher has grown as a driver sufficiently that he could be the one to help Cadillac grow.

“I think Mick has a good chance,” the former F1 team boss told RTL.

“Cadillac needs a driver with experience in Formula 1 and there are currently not many drivers who don’t have a job but have already driven Formula 1.”

Going on to say that Schumacher is a “hard worked” and “very nice person”, Steiner added: “When he was a test driver at Mercedes, he didn’t race, but he learned a lot about a good big team.

“This knowledge of how a successful team works could help Cadillac.”

Cadillac could even have two Mercedes drivers in Schumacher and Bottas, who were “both at Mercedes and learned the same work ethic” said Steiner.

“I don’t think they’ll take an American driver because the risk is just too great,” he added. “The guys have no experience in Formula 1 and then it can quickly backfire. That doesn’t help anyone.

“Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. All of them have experience in Formula 1. With Mick Schumacher, these are my four favourites.”

Read next: Colapinto warned Briatore ‘like a bomb’ with the Alpine driver ‘not safe’