Cadillac F1 Boss: American Driver Selection Will Be Based Purely On Merit

Cadillac F1 boss Graeme Lowdon has stated that the team will exclusively select an American driver based on merit, following the reduction of a shortlist ahead of their inaugural 2026 season.

The General Motors-backed team is set to join the Formula 1 grid as the 11th competitor next year, but their driver lineup remains undecided.

Lowdon, who is slated to be the team principal, indicated that Cadillac has a "fairly good idea" of their desired signings.

"We've narrowed it down quite a bit. But we're out of sync with the rest of the teams at the moment," he shared with Sky Sports F1. "We were effectively kept out of the last round of driver discussions because we didn't have an entry so we're in a slightly unusual position. But it also means there's a lot less competitive tension and we can take a little bit of time."

"Quite obviously, the number one priority for us as a team is to have something for the driver to drive and that is where a lot of the management bandwidth is focused."

Potential candidates include Sergio Perez, who is expected to be available after his departure from Red Bull at the end of last season, and Valtteri Bottas, currently a reserve driver for Mercedes after being dismissed from Sauber. Both drivers would bring valuable experience to a new team like Cadillac.

Given that a primary motivation for the team's entry into the sport is their perceived ability to enhance F1's popularity in the United States, the selection of at least one American driver for their debut season is highly anticipated.

IndyCar star Colton Herta, who was previously linked to an F1 seat three years ago, would be the most apparent American choice for Cadillac.

However, Lowdon emphasized that driver selection will not be based on nationality.

"I think everyone would love to see an American driver in an American team with an American engine at some stage," he remarked. "But, also, this is a world championship, we have to select everyone on merit and, as we've said before, there's nothing stopping a girl or boy with an American passport driving for an American Formula 1 team."

"We will select on merit. If the driver happens to be an American, then I think it's something the fans would really like, but this is a world championship, we've got to respect it, and we want to be as competitive as we can. So we choose everyone in the team on merit."

The Cadillac entry is a collaboration between automotive giant General Motors and the US group TWG Global. TWG Motorsport chief executive Dan Towriss acknowledged the "challenge" of being prepared for the 2026 season, which is scheduled to commence with pre-season testing in late January.

Lowdon described the situation as "a race against time" despite the team also establishing a new US manufacturing facility in Indiana, necessitating that work be conducted elsewhere.

"As everybody knows, they'll be tuning into the first Grand Prix next year and we have to be there. We can't turn up a week later and do the race behind everyone else," Lowdon stated.

"So we have a deadline. Teams have a countdown clock in every garage that I'm aware of on the TV monitors and it shows when the start of the session is happening, and we've got those in every room of our multiple factories at the moment counting down to the first Grand Prix of 2026."

"So there's a few days on there and it's to remind everyone that time tends to accelerate when you're when you're up against a solid object. So it's just there to remind everyone, and it's a good thing as well. We're in the game; we're not racing on the track yet but we're racing in the factory."