Sergio Perez has admitted that Cadillac could hand a Formula One race seat to Colton Herta next year, leaving Valtteri Bottas's position with the team uncertain.
Cadillac and General Motors have been keen to include an American driver as part of their project and signed Herta as their test driver as he swapped IndyCar, where he was a nine-time race winner, for Formula Two this season in a bid to win the FIA superlicence every driver needs to be eligible to race in F1.
Herta's Challenging Season
However, he has had a miserable year having struggled to adapt to F2 machinery and is 19th in the standings with two weekends to go in the season. Herta will not score the superlicence points he needs by virtue of his finish in the drivers' championship.
But Cadillac are confident they can get him over the line anyway with appearances in first practice sessions. And despite his poor season, he could still be promoted to F1 off the back of it anyway.
That is because Cadillac are considering whether to make a change to their driver line-up despite having signed both of their experienced racers to multi-year contracts ahead of their debut season on the grid.
Perez's New Deal and Bottas's Uncertainty
Sergio Perez has earned a new deal, confirmed this week ahead of his home race, the Mexico City Grand Prix. But there is far less certainty about Valtteri Bottas, whose qualifying record is reasonably comparable but whose race pace, particularly in recent rounds, has left a lot to be desired at times.
And Perez confirmed to the world that Cadillac have a decision to make as he faced questions over his team-mate in the press conference on Thursday. The Mexican said: "I think [Herta] is doing a good job. He's bringing good feedback to the team and good information, which is all we need from him.
"Obviously, doing FP1s is always very difficult to show your speed or the level you're at. But now I think he's having more time in the car and in the simulator, so we're starting to see more of his speed.
"Obviously, it's not my decision, but I think it will be down to Marcin [Budkowski, team principal] to decide who they want in the car. I'm also working really well with Valtteri. I think he's been very unfortunate in a few races. In Austin, he showed very strong pace, so there isn't an easy decision for the team."
Decision Left to Team Principal
Perez's new deal gives him a race seat until 2029, while he also hinted that the deal gives him an 'expanded' role beyond simply driving for them. However, asked if he has any say over who his team-mate will be next year, Checo made it clear that is not a responsibility he would want.
Perez said: "No, not at all. I don't want to, either, because that's not my decision. That's why we have someone like Marcin, who will be looking at all the data and information, and he will ultimately make that decision based on what he thinks is best for the future of the team.
"Obviously, we're in a period where we need to evolve extremely quickly. The next three or four months are really crucial in our preparation. So, yeah, I think it's down to him."
Asked if the fact he has committed his own future to the project, Perez added: "I obviously know what's in the works. The amount of work that's been put in behind the scenes, the amount of commitment we have from our team bosses and team owners. Cadillac is a team that's in Formula 1 not just to be here. It's a brand that doesn't need Formula 1 – it's already very, very big.
"They're here because they want to succeed in the sport, and they're putting all the resources in place. When I was at the factory a few months ago, I've never seen a factory with that level of technology and infrastructure among all the teams I've been with. The level of investment and commitment they're putting in is extremely high."
