Cadillac F1 Driver Lineup: What Options Can F1’s 11th Team Choose From?

Cadillac (together with General Motors), which reached an agreement in principle with F1 earlier this week, is preparing to join the F1 grid as the 11th team from 2026. Now the first question that comes to mind is: Who will create its driver? line up?

Cadillac may have to rely on an entirely new set of drivers, as most existing teams have already confirmed driver pairings for the long term. They may have to choose from options that no one else on the grid wants, or risk signing a rookie.

But this could be a blessing in disguise for Cadillac, an American team. To increase their popularity in the country, they may look to IndyCar for talent, a series they are familiar with due to their previous involvement. Today, many talented stars compete here, and some of them also show great interest in switching to F1.

Top IndyCar drivers Cadillac Racing could consider

Alex Palou

Palou, a three-time IndyCar champion, may be the most sought-after driver. This season, America’s big name clinched his third championship with Chip Ganassi Racing. But it’s not just IndyCar that stands out on Palou’s resume. He also raced in F3 and F2, officially F1’s feeder series.

Moreover, since he is the reserve pilot of McLaren’s F1 team, he has experience in driving F1 cars. While Palou is probably the best candidate for any F1 team looking to sign a driver, what could help Cadillac Racing convince him to join is the fact that the 27-year-old raced for them at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

But the question that comes to mind is whether Palou will be willing to race in F1 after all the legal drama he went through just to get a place with McLaren. When asked if he wanted to join F1 earlier this year, Palou said:I tried but it didn’t work. Otherwise it doesn’t bother me. I tried, I failed and that’s it. I didn’t miss anything. I don’t think Formula 1 is missing anything either.“.

Colton Herta

Another IndyCar driver who has attracted the attention of many teams other than Palou is Herta. The 24-year-old currently drives for Andretti Global in IndyCar and was a favorite to take part in F1 if the American team’s bid to join the grid is successful.

Now that another American team, Cadillac Racing, has received approval, Herta can join us again. He is believed to be one of the fastest drivers on a single lap, but the only thing that might go against him is that, unlike Palou, he still does not have a super licence, despite all his efforts to get one.

Pato O’Ward

Another IndyCar driver that Cadillac Racing could consider is O’Ward, who currently drives for Arrow McLaren and made his F1 free practice session debut at the Mexico City GP. Although the Mexican driver has not publicly expressed his desire to compete in F1, he would likely grab such an opportunity with both hands if any team showed interest in signing him. There are two main reasons why he is one of the best candidates in IndyCar for a seat in F1.

First of all, like Palou, he has a superlicence, and with the Spaniard showing little interest in F1, O’Ward could be the leader among current IndyCar drivers. Secondly, given O’Ward’s large fan base in Latin America, he could attract lucrative sponsorship opportunities for any F1 team looking to sign him.

Young Drivers

Jack Crawford

Next year four rookies – Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Jack Doohan (Alpine) and Oliver Bearman (Haas) – will compete in their first full-time F1 season after no team showed any confidence in signing any rookies for the 2024 season. With many of these rookies being extremely impressive despite their lack of experience at the top of motorsports, Cadillac Racing can count on one of them when they join the grid in 2026.

One option the American team could consider could be Crawford, who currently races in F2 with DAMS Lucas Oil. He finished fifth in the championship and recorded five podiums, including victory in the feature race in Barcelona. Although he does not have a super license yet, he will receive a super license if he finishes 5th or above in the championship.

Felipe Drugovic

Perhaps the young driver least fortunate in realizing his dream of racing in F1 is Drugovich, who has three years of experience in F2. He also won the F2 championship in 2022, where he dominated with five wins and a total of 11 podiums.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of available seats, Drugovich has been Aston Martin’s reserve driver since 2023 and has seemingly faded away.

Franco Colapinto

Cadillac may also consider signing the hugely impressive Colapinto, who has made a huge impact despite Logan Sargeant’s mid-season replacement from the Italian GP. Many have already predicted that the Argentinian will do big things in F1, and Williams’ two points so far prove they were right.

Unfortunately, Williams has secured the duo of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon for the long term. This means Colapinto will be free to join a team in 2026. Why not Cadillac?

Experienced Drivers

Since Cadillac will be entering F1 as a new team, they may be hesitant to sign a rookie and instead opt for an experienced driver who can help them get accustomed to the sport.

Considering many F1 teams have already signed rookies for 2025, Cadillac Racing is unlikely to have trouble finding an experienced driver as many teams will have left their current teams by the end of the 2024 season.

Daniel Ricciardo

Among experienced drivers, eight-time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo is expected to be the favourite. Not only does the Australian driver have incredible racing ability (although he has struggled to rediscover his form at RB), he can also help a new team like Cadillac secure sponsorship deals thanks to his massive global popularity.

Sergio Perez

Another driver who is similarly hugely popular but has lost form recently is Perez. With rumors emerging that Red Bull could replace him at the end of this season, the Mexican driver could consider signing for a team like Cadillac, where there would be much less pressure as there would be a new team on the grid.

Valtteri Bottas

Cadillac Racing may be spoiled for choice when it comes to experienced drivers, as they could also consider signing 10-time Grand Prix winner Bottas, who will part ways with Sauber at the end of this season.

The Finn is considering returning to Mercedes as a reserve driver, but will likely opt for a full-time F1 seat, even if it means joining another backbencher like Cadillac Racing who is likely to take time to become competitive.

Kevin Magnussen

Similar to Bottas, another driver who could not get an extension with his current team Haas is Magnussen. The Danish driver knows what it is like to race for Cadillac Racing and has also won a race with them in the IMSA SportsCar Championship (DPi).

Yuki Tsunoda

Finally, Cadillac Racing may also consider signing Tsunoda, especially if the Japanese driver does not see a future with Red Bull. A key advantage for any team signing a driver like Tsunoda is that while he is still incredibly young, he also has significant experience, having raced for four full F1 seasons so far.