Sergio Perez has signed a contract extension with Cadillac that keeps him in a race seat through 2029, while team-mate Valtteri Bottas faces an uncertain future as the team evaluates its options.
Perez Secures New Deal
Perez heads into his home race, this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, having penned the extension. Cadillac have been happy enough with his performances to hand him the new deal, but the same cannot be said of Bottas.
The Finn's future is uncertain, with Cadillac considering their options. Keeping Bottas is one option, and the word coming out of Cadillac is that the seat remains his to lose. However, he will need to find more race pace in the final rounds of the season, having been lacking compared to Perez for some time.
Bottas Responds
Asked about his future in Austin last weekend, Bottas responded in a characteristic laidback manner. "Last year when I signed [the contract], I know the terms, so that's all okay," he said. He admitted "anything can always happen" in F1 but reiterated that Cadillac are happy with him.
Team principal Marcin Budkowski didn't rule out changes on the driver front before 2027. "As a team principal, and I'm sure it's the same with my colleagues, you're getting calls and contacts from every driver or driver manager that is on the market," he said. "There are a number of drivers and managers who have contacted me. I'm not going to say who it is or who it isn't, but pretty much all of them that are on the market have been in touch."
Potential Replacements
Budkowski added that driver news "will be done by official releases from the team when the time is right." A release confirming Perez's new deal came a few days after his comment.
Cadillac is the only team besides Racing Bulls yet to confirm its 2027 driver plans, and Racing Bulls are choosing only from drivers within the Red Bull programme. That gives Cadillac negotiating leverage despite being F1's least performant squad.
Test driver Colton Herta will be considered if he gets enough points to land his superlicence, which the team is confident will happen through FP1 appearances this year. Yuki Tsunoda represents an experienced option with more than 100 F1 starts, and his managers have been in contact with Cadillac. Esteban Ocon wants to continue his F1 career after losing his Haas seat.
There is still a chance Cadillac will stick with what they have, but there is certainly less certainty for Bottas right now than there is for Perez.
