On Monday, it was reported that a new team will enter Formula One after a long break. The American Cadillac will join the F1 series in 2026, when the rules will change in a big way.
In the process Valtteri Bottas there was a new spark around the future. The 35-year-old Finn does not have a place as a race driver for next season. He may still get a wash as a test and reserve driver for Mercedes.
For example, the prestigious motorsport media Autosport and The Race speculated about Botta as the second driver of the new F1 team.
Cadillac’s F1 project is based on the 1978 F1 champion, Mario Andretti. He boasted NBC’s along with Bottas and said that the team might lose one champion driver and a young driver with a US background.
Urheilu’s F1 expert Jukka Mildh considers it a great thing for the sport that there will be two more new racing spots in the series. However, he says that Bottas should not just wait until 2026.
Bottas has been taken back to Mercedes for the role of reserve driver for next year. Mildh regards this signature as a foregone conclusion.
– Is it good for Valtteri to wait? Next year’s contract could allow him to do proactive work in Cadillac’s direction. Although the facilities are in order there, it still takes a long time for the stable to run.
– Bottas has won ten races and has been in Formula One for a long time. Such know-how is needed. On the other hand, the pressure on the owners can increase from having to hire an American driver, Mildh estimates.
Experience
One option for Cadillac is the 24-year-old American Colton Heartswho has merited in IndyCar. The talented driver was already speculated for Formula One two years ago, but at that time he did not yet have the super license points required for the driving position.
Young US drivers driving in Europe have been overlooked Jak Crawford’s mixed Ugo Ugochukwu’s names.
The 19-year-old Crawford is Aston Martin’s reserve driver and will drive his third season in the F2 series next year.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Ugochukwu has been part of McLaren’s young driver academy since he was 13.
However, Ugochukwu’s career in small formulas has not progressed as expected. For example, this year in the European Regional series, he was only 11th, when, for example, Finland Tuukka Taponen was third.
Of the currently available drivers, Mildh considers Bottas to be the best possible sporting option for Cadillac. Not many drivers have ten race wins, 69 podium finishes and 20 pole positions on their F1 resume.
If Bottas and Cadillac were to reach a driver’s contract, it would be a case of the Finn participating in a new F1 project. Bottas’ current employer Sauber has also had its eye on the Audi project all along.
– In terms of sport, it is not very rewarding. It could be the kind of thing that interests Bottas. He wants to race in a competitive car, says Mildh.
Whether Bottas drives in F1 in 2026 or not, Mildh sees that it is important for Bottas to race next season as well. Through Cadillac, the opportunity could open up for endurance car series. It is included in the World Series of Endurance Cars, which includes, among others, the F1 world champion Jenson Button.
Mildh believes that the mere role of a consultant is not enough for Bottas.
– He is a racing car driver who is used to completing according to the calendar. I think he should get some kind of competition program just for the feeling. Gets to ride in races to keep up the routine.
Taponen’s first F1 team
When Cadillac joins as an F1 team in 2026, it will be ten years since there were 11 teams in Formula One last time. At that time, in addition to the current ten stables, Manor was involved.
Cadillac brings more American style to Formula 1. Above all, it brings one stable place and two more driving places to the series.
Driving places have been tight in recent years. It has been difficult for young drivers to get driving places, although next season there will be at least four new race drivers in formula one.
From a Finnish point of view, the inclusion of Cadillac brings options not only for Bottas but also for the Finnish promise Tuukka Tapose. For the Ferrari academy driver, who will drive in the F3 series next season, an F1 place may look realistic as early as 2027.
– The Finns’ hope for the F1 future really rests on Taponen’s shoulders. He is on the best track. As long as he performs, the Ferrari contact will bring more opportunities. When there were two more places, there were two new opportunities.
According to Mildh, it is important that the academy drivers are allowed to be on display during the F1 race weekends. For example, the future driver of Mercedes Kimi Antonelli18, has been a familiar sight this year as team manager Toto Wolff with the company in the stall of the stable.
On the other hand, Sauber’s academy driver Theo Pourchaire has not been seen in the pits. Valtteri Bottas’ Sauber seat was inherited To Gabriel Bortoletonot for Pourchaire.
– Reserve drivers are needed. Those who handle PR activities and get to be involved in the F1 community all the time. For Tuukka Tapose as well, such new opportunities bring options as to who to sell themselves to, says Mildh.