Mercedes reserve confirms Cadillac F1 interest as Bottas pressure increases
Mercedes reserve driver Fred Vesti.
Fred Vesti has admitted that he has his “eyes set” on a Formula 1 race drive with Cadillac in 2027 amid ongoing speculation over Valtteri Bottas’ position in the team.
Cadillac announced earlier this week that Sergio Perez has signed a new contract with the squad through 2029, but it has yet to reveal who his teammate will be next season.
Fred Vesti targeting coveted F1 drive with Cadillac
Bottas has occupied the seat alongside the Mexican during Cadillac’s debut campaign in the series, with the incumbent pair both reported to have penned multi-term deals.
However, Bottas’ struggles since his return to F1, particularly in race trim relative to Perez, have prompted rumours to emerge that he could be replaced at the end of 2026.
The 10-time F1 race winner brushed aside the growing noise surrounding his drive last weekend in Austin, though he later admitted that there are no guarantees in the sport.
Colton Herta, who has appeared in five F1 practice sessions with Cadillac to date, has been linked as a possible successor to Bottas should the team elect to make a change.
Vesti, though, is also understood to be under consideration. Like Herta, the Dane has an existing connection to Cadillac, dovetailing a race drive with the American marque’s sports car entrant in IMSA alongside his reserve driver duties with Mercedes in F1.
Following an outing with the Silver Arrows in FP1 in Mexico, where he placed third overall on the timesheets, less than a tenth behind points leader and champion-elect Kimi Antonelli, Vesti revealed that he is targeting a coveted seat in F1 with Cadillac.
More reaction to the Mexican GP on PlanetF1.com
“I’m hugely privileged to be working with two awesome manufacturers, Mercedes and Cadillac,” Vesti began to Sky Sports F1.
“Obviously, racing with them in sports cars, they’ve had the chance for two years to see what I can do. This year, we were Drivers’ Champion, Team Champions, Manufacturers’ Champion in IMSA, and I think that that really shows the level we’re operating at.
“But to have two manufacturers working together like that for a driver is very, very special and very rare.
“And there’s no doubt, I have all my eyes on that seat, and it would be such a privilege to step into that.”
Vesti has pointed to Antonelli’s exploits in his sophomore season as evidence that team bosses should be more willing to incorporate a rookie into their driver line-ups.
“There is one thing I would say: look at Kimi. He has a chance of being World Champion this weekend,” he highlighted.
“He’s 20 years old; he’s a young guy showing F1 what the young drivers can do. And I think that should be also a pointer for the team principals to trust the young talent.
“There is plenty of experience on the grid. I think we need to trust the rookies more.”
Vesti is highly rated within Mercedes’ ranks.
Whilst a rookie in an F1 racing sense, he has amassed vast experience on the Brackley-based squad’s simulator and has played an integral part in developing and refining this season’s class-leading machine.
“This year, obviously new regs, [the] W17 [has] been performing really well,” he said.
“In Formula 1, we’re always pushing the boundaries, and I’ve been right at the forefront of that, been the link between the racetrack and sort of development back in Brackley.
“We’ve done a lot this year, and I want to say we’ve done never-before-seen F1 things, which is very, very cool. And, privileged to be a part of that as well”
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