The four Cadillac F1 candidates who stumbled at the last hurdle

Cadillac went for the ‘secure’ route whereas finalising the driving force line-up for its Components 1 debut in 2026, selecting Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as a result of their current expertise in grand prix equipment.

Nevertheless it meant that a number of different names who had been within the operating ultimately missed the minimize, and are actually pressured to look elsewhere.

From the outset, the Normal Motors model had signalled its intention to signal a US-born driver to honour its American heritage.

Nonetheless, it rapidly turned clear that there have been too many hurdles to realize that ambition as early as 2026. Whereas Cadillac continues to be eager on making a ‘pathway’ for an American driver into F1, the world’s third populous nation received’t be represented on subsequent 12 months’s grid.

With American drivers – significantly from IndyCar – out of the body, consideration turned in the direction of expertise with expertise of the European racing scene.

At one stage, the squad run in collaboration with TWG World thought-about pairing a rookie with an skilled hand. That is the technique that Audi has employed with Sauber this 12 months, with Gabriel Bortoleto stepping up from F2 because the reigning champion and partnering with Nico Hulkenberg.

Cadillac spoke to Mercedes and Aston Martin drivers

Two drivers with out prior F1 expertise that Cadillac thought-about had been Mercedes reserve Fred Vesti and Aston Martin’s third driver Felipe Drugovich.

Regardless of not having contested an F1 race so far, each have collected hundreds of kilometres in grand prix equipment because of being a part of separate younger driver programmes.

Vesti can be part of Cadillac’s prolonged motorsport household after touchdown a deal to race for the manufacturing unit Motion Specific Racing crew in IMSA’s endurance occasions and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

In the meantime, Drugovich has now made two Le Mans begins in Cadillac’s LMDh prototype, and he additionally joined Vesti at AXR in January’s Daytona 24 Hours.

Finally, neither Vesti nor Drugovich obtained the nod, with the American squad choosing expertise over youth.

Mick Schumacher was within the combine at Cadillac

Two different drivers that had been within the body for the Cadillac seat did include F1 pedigree: Zhou Guanyu and Mick Schumacher.

Zhou was beforehand managed by Cadillac’s crew principal Graeme Lowdon and is presently a reserve driver for Ferrari, the producer GM has partnered with for its F1 entry.

Signing Zhou would have helped the crew preserve shut ties with Ferrari whereas it arrange its in-house programme for the 2029 season.

Nonetheless, Bottas had comprehensively outperformed Zhou throughout their remaining 12 months as teammates at Sauber in 2024, thus making the selection straightforward for the crew.

Schumacher was additionally seen as a contender, with the German having repeatedly expressed his want to return to F1 regardless of having fun with appreciable success in sportscar racing with Alpine.

Finally, Cadillac determined in opposition to having a younger racer in its line-up, closing the door on Schumacher – but in addition Zhou, Vesti and Drugovich.

Schumacher should find yourself at Cadillac subsequent 12 months, however as a part of the manufacturing unit Jota crew within the World Endurance Championship.