Cadillac F1 boss insists the team will only sign an American driver on merit

Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon has stated that the incoming Formula 1 squad will select its first driver line-up on merit – and that it could still contain an American.

F1 and the FIA formally approved the entry of General Motors on Friday meaning its Cadillac brand will become the grid’s 11th team from 2026.

But preparations have long been under way to get the team in shape for its debut, yet no official conversations with potential drivers could take place until the ratification last week.

There are several drivers currently without race seats in F1 who have been linked to Cadillac, while the prospect of the US squad hiring a homegrown racer has also been mooted.

“We definitely select on merit,” said Lowdon. “Formula 1, it’s not a playground, this is the pinnacle of world motorsport.

“I think in terms of timing, it’s kind of a little bit odd because we’re out of sync with the other teams, we weren’t in the driver market during the fairly critical last round, so certain drivers are tied up for certain periods.

Graeme Lowdon

“Luckily for us, there are a lot of good drivers out there, unfortunately, we’ve not been able to be in the driver market until the entry was confirmed.

“It’s important for us to talk to a number of potential candidates. Do we see very talented drivers who currently aren’t on the grid? Yes, we do.

“We are going to be quite busy talking to a few people, my phone’s certainly been busy. What’s a little bit difficult because of the situation that we’re in as a new team, the timeline isn’t as laid out as it normally is. It’s normally quite clear for all of us involved in the driver negotiations.

“But there are easily half a dozen, if not more candidates out there who offer extremely good credentials to be in Formula 1 or to be in Formula 1 again.”

The likes of Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu lost their seats in F1 at the end of last season and would bring experience to the Cadillac project. Zhou in particular, is a name of note given Lowdon makes up part of the Ferrari reserve driver’s management team.

“It’s a little bit too early to go too much into any detail, because it’s only now that we’re able to have meaningful conversations,” added Lowdon. “But for sure, we want to have drivers that can contribute to the overall programme.

Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, with Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

“I think Zhou’s done an exceptionally good job under difficult circumstances and what makes it actually quite useful for me is he doesn’t necessarily need to explain the background of his abilities because I’ve had a front row seat to see all that, so that’s a benefit.

“There’s the correct checks and balances in place, so there’s no favouritism in any particular direction towards him or any other driver that we may have involvement with on the grid.

“We’re there to do a job, so we’ll select drivers on merit. There are some really good ones out there, Zhou included.”

While plenty of names have been bandied around, the idea of recruiting an American driver is one that will not go away. Despite a dearth of US F1 drivers in recent times, Lowdon did not rule out signing one for the 2026 season.

“The obvious question is whether we’ll have American drivers and personally, I see no reason why an American driver can’t be selected on merit as well,” he said.

“It’s certainly something that the fans would like to see, and I see no reason why that can’t happen. But the overriding objective is merit. We’ve got a job to do here.

“I don’t see any particular problem. I don’t envisage any particular problem on that front and as I said before, driver selection will definitely be on merit.

“What I’m trying to emphasise is just because someone’s American doesn’t mean that they can’t be a good Formula 1 driver.”

Colton Herta, Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian Honda

Photo by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Images

One such driver linked with a seat is IndyCar’s Colton Herta at Andretti Global, which has been involved with the General Motors F1 entry.

But the problem for the 24-year-old is that he currently does not have enough points on his superlicence to compete in F1.

“With regard to Colton, so he doesn’t have the required number of superlicence points and if that were to remain the case, then that’s clearly an impediment for him,” said Lowdon.

“We can’t choose a driver that doesn’t have the points, that is just the real world that we live in and we just have to take that into account.

“Does his lack of reaching or the lack of being at the threshold for the superlicence in any way affect his ability to drive a race car? No.

“He’s incredibly talented, so it’s not shock news that we would be looking to Colton alongside a whole bunch of other drivers as well.

“He’s not the only one actually in that situation and he won’t be the first, he won’t be the last driver where there’s some uncertainty due to superlicence points, but we just have to live with that. That’s a regulation. We just have to respect it.”