Wheeling and dealing gathers speed as F1 'silly season' starts

Cadillac is coming

"That's actually a nice seat... I wouldn't mind." Valtteri Bottas' comments in a social media skit in June fawning over a Cadillac road car went viral and cemented him in many fans' minds as the front-runner to join the new General Motors-backed team for 2026.

Bottas and Perez are both F1 race winners, popular with fans, but who had underwhelming seasons in 2024 and aren't racing in 2025.

Other reported options include Ferrari reserve Zhou Guanyu, an ex-Sauber driver who could unlock big sponsor backing from China, or ex-Haas driver Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

The Alpine carousel

Ruthless? Yes. Successful? No.

Alpine benched the departing Esteban Ocon for Jack Doohan for the last race of 2024, then dropped Doohan for Franco Colapinto six races into 2025.

Given that neither Doohan nor Colapinto has scored a point for Alpine, it's perhaps no wonder the team hasn't confirmed who'll partner Pierre Gasly next year.

One option is Alpine reserve Paul Aron, who would be the first Estonian in F1. He's had two practice drives with Sauber this year, but was unlucky last week when his car broke down on Friday after just eight laps.

Agencies via Xinhua