Cadillac has signed Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez as its drivers for the team's entry into Formula 1 in 2026. The pairing provides high name recognition and a combined 527 race starts of experience, which could help cultivate American fan support. Haas has not fostered similar patriotic affinity or recognition since 2016, leaving space for Cadillac to build a following. Pérez began 2024 securing podiums and earned a multiyear extension but experienced a severe drop in performance and finished eighth. Red Bull paid a buyout and replaced Pérez with Liam Lawson, and Pérez's stock improved after sitting out in 2025.
The lineup alone is already enough to make Cadillac a fan favorite. The team's American F1 contemporary in Haas has yet to foster any real patriotic affinity-or, really, much recognition at all outside of Guenther Steiner -since 2016. Time will tell whether Cadillac can succeed where Haas hasn't, but starting off with this much name recognition certainly doesn't hurt: Between Bottas and Pérez, Cadillac's lineup already boasts 527 race starts of experience; and, better yet, both drivers are generally likable.
Anyone who watched F1 in 2024 will be familiar with Pérez, who was Red Bull's second driver until the very end of the season. It was not an inspiring showing. Pérez started off cleaning up podium spots as his teammate, Max Verstappen, won races; this was enough to earn him a multiyear extension, but his performance seemed to fall off a cliff soon after.
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