As intended, the US team Cadillac will actually enrich Formula 1 with an eleventh racing team from 2026, which has been official since the start of the weekend. There are numerous options for filling their two cockpits, said team boss Graeme Lowdon.
Since the new Formula 1 racing team has finally received the green light for its entry into the premier class of motorsport, Cadillac has been going through the other central points in preparation for the coming season. Above all, the question has to be clarified: Which two drivers sit in 2026 in the Americans’ cars?
The team’s wish, which has long been publicly expressed, is a combination of a domestic driver and an experienced pilot who knows Formula 1 well.
“The obvious question is whether we will have American drivers. Personally, I see no reason why an American driver cannot be selected because of his merits. The overarching goal is performance,” team boss Graeme Lowdon on Monday, among other things, opposed “ESPN” new insights into the driver’s search.
The US pilot, whose name has fell primarily in recent months, is Colton Herta, who still has to develop the super license required for Formula 1. “He is an incredibly talented driver. So it is not a shocking news that we consider Colton alongside a number of other drivers,” said the Cadillac manager.
Mick Schumacher wants to fight for his chance
There are also options when filling the second car. There are enough “experienced and capable drivers” on the market without a regular cockpit. “We will have a lot to do to talk to some people. My phone is not exactly quiet, that’s sure.”
Lowdon explained: “There are easily half a dozen, if not, candidates who bring extremely good conditions to be in Formula 1 or to be back in Formula 1.”
Long-standing F1 pilots like Daniel Ricciardo Sergio Pérez or Valtteri Bottas are likely to hope. Mick Schumacher also wants to fight for his chance, he said again clearly again.
And there would still be Zhou Guanyu, after his end at Sauber in 2025, reserve driver at Ferrari. Graeme Lowdon has a close connection for the management of the Chinese, and Cadillac is initially supplied with Ferrari engines.
“I think that Zhou has worked out of outstanding under difficult circumstances in recent years,” said the American, who at the same time clarified: “There are the right checks and considerations, so that neither he nor another driver with whom we may have to do in any way.”