‘We’re not here to finish last’: F1’s newest team, Cadillac, looks to make its mark as sport enters new era

By Aleks Klosok, Amanda Davies, CNN

Silverstone, England (CNN) — A new era of Formula One is about to dawn.

Not only is the sport ushering in its biggest shakeup of rules and regulations in decades, but this season, it’s also welcoming a brand-new proverbial kid onto the block: Cadillac F1 Team.

Ten years since Haas entered the pit lane, the General Motors-backed outfit will become the second American-registered team and the sport’s 11th team to compete in what’s widely regarded as the pinnacle of motorsports around the world.

Cadillac may be a start-up, but it boasts two of the most experienced drivers around in Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas.

Reinvigorated by breaks away from the grid, the pair have points to prove and are under no illusions of the task that awaits.

“I’m really optimistic and, at the same time, I’m realistic,” Bottas tells CNN Sports ahead of the team’s shakedown at the iconic Silverstone circuit.

“It’s not going be an easy start when you start from nothing but where we’re going to end up, that’s what’s the motivation and that’s what’s going to be really rewarding if we get to our targets in the end.

“We’re not here to finish last, that’s for sure.”

‘It gave me a lot of perspective’

For Pérez and Bottas, the move to Cadillac represents a last dance of sorts with both having had a year away from the intensity of the sport.

For the Mexican, who lost his Red Bull seat at the end of the 2024 season following a disappointing campaign, it marked an opportunity for a period of personal and professional reflection.

“My last six months with Red Bull were very, very difficult,” he recounts.

“I was asking a lot of questions, and I thought at the time I was the problem. I tried everything to make it work and it didn’t.

“Once I left, I knew straight away it was the best thing that could happen. It gave me a lot of perspective. … The way I left (F1), I didn’t want it to be the end because the sport has given me everything.”

Bottas, meanwhile, remained closer to the action, serving as Mercedes’ reserve driver during the 2025 season after former team Sauber decided against renewing his deal at the end of 2024.

“It was a year that made me realize how much I miss racing,” the 36-year-old Finn explains. “That was kind of the confirmation for me that I still have that will to be in F1.

“I definitely have more respect for the sport, for the teams, every team member, how hard they work, which I think is only a positive thing for me.”

Unique project

Blended with that positivity is an unrivaled level of knowledge and leadership from which Cadillac will be able to draw upon.

With a combined total of 527 Grand Prix starts, 106 podiums, 16 Grand Prix wins and 23 pole positions between them, the pair’s excitement of being part of a newly formed setup with long-terms ambitions is palpable.

“I made up my mind early last year that this is the priority. I want to jump into this,” says the blonde-haired Bottas.

“You rarely as a driver get this kind of opportunity in your career to jump into something completely different. I think this team will also do certain things differently because of the American influence.

“We’re making history … and I think the support is going to be amazing from the US.”

For Pérez, the motivation lies not only in executing a successful, personal comeback but building the team into one that can represent the whole of the Americas.

“I’m obviously 100% Mexican, but driving for an American team, it’s also an honor and a privilege to represent the whole continent,” he says.

“I think it’s going to be the favorite team at least in my continent!”

Super Bowl reveal

Cadillac will make its big splash when the team reveals its very first livery for the upcoming season in a TV commercial during Super Bowl LX on February 8 before preseason testing begins in Bahrain the following week.

There’s no doubt the learning curve will be steep this season, so does Pérez believe points or even a podium is realistic for the team’s maiden voyage?

“I think it wouldn’t be realistic at this time, not for this year,” explains the 2023 drivers’ championship runner-up.

“We have to make sure that we are able to progress quickly and who knows in the near future?”

Bottas, though, is willing to push the envelope a bit further but maintains an optimistic realism.

“Of course, I’m dreaming of some points here and there in the first year. We’ve just got to figure out what is the starting point and then how we can improve. My glass is always half full, so I’ll take the podium!”

Huge shake-up

The battle, though, for points and podiums this year is set to be more unpredictable than ever with major technical changes governing how cars are designed and powered coming into effect.

Cars will be lighter, smaller and more environmentally friendly, making the prospect of a shake-up of the competitive order a realistic possibility.

“I don’t think the running order is going be the same as last year,” says Bottas, who lost out to Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ championship in 2019 and 2020.

“It’s impossible now to predict who’s going to be on top, which is kind of good for the sport, right?”

It’s a view shared by Pérez who believes the element of the unknown could benefit his team’s prospects for the 24-race season that begins in Melbourne on March 4.

“It’s a massive change. We’re all starting from zero. It was a great time to take a year out. I felt like I didn’t lose anything,” he says. “You’re going to see a lot of different driving styles.

“I think it’s a massive help (for Cadillac) because, if you come in (with) a set of regulations already, the teams have been progressing for years … Cadillac should be the team that progressed the most through the year because we are starting from zero.”

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