Valtteri Bottas has started working with Cadillac in preparation for his return to F1 in 2026, and wasted no time in participating in a seat fitting at the team’s factory the day after the 2025 season ended.
Cadillac announced earlier this year that it would hire Bottas alongside Sergio Perez, but Bottas was still employed as Mercedes’ reserve driver for 2025, so he initially did not have the same freedom to work with Bottas. Bottas, who had just returned from Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, flew to England to visit Cadillac on Monday and took the first opportunity to do seat fittings and other preparatory work.
“I’m excited to finally start as a driver for the Cadillac F1 Team,” said Bottas. “This is a proud moment in my career and the start of a new chapter back on the grid for a team that is starting a new journey in this sport. There is a lot of hard work ahead and I am looking forward to using my experience to help the team now that I have joined them permanently.”
“Seeing everything come together for the first time as a brand new team is special and makes you realize the momentum of the project. These moments are really the first step in preparing for the first test, so it’s important to prepare properly. I can’t wait for the season to start and to go racing again.”
Perez has already been able to work freely with Cadillac since signing, completing a two-day test of the front car (TPC) at Imola last month. Team principal Graham Loudon said the addition of Bottas is another important step toward Cadillac’s debut season in 2026.
“It’s great to finally have Valtteri join the team and integrate into the team,” Loudon said. “We’ve been planning it for quite some time, so it’s great to see moments like this happen before the first season takes off.
“I’m so proud of all the work that everyone in the team is doing. F1 is the greatest team game in the world and it’s times like this that show us the skill, talent and expertise we have, and how much talent like Valtteri can do domestically.”
