Herta 'incredibly talented', Zhou 'among the very best': Cadillac takes stock of its potential drivers for 2026

This is the question that will animate the transfer market in 2025: who will be the first two drivers of the Cadillac team? F1 Team in 2026? Last Friday, the American manufacturer obtained official approval and definitive of FOM to become the eleventh team on the grid from next year, bringing the number of cars – and therefore drivers – in Formula 1 to 22 in 2026. Two new seats that open up new opportunities for drivers who aspire to arrive, stay or return to the premier category.

Obviously, we didn't have to wait for the official confirmation on March 7 to start speculating on the possible candidates for a seat at Cadillac. As soon as the announcement of the agreement in principle, revealed last November, many have tried – including us – to establish a list of potential candidates for the American team in 2026. Hypotheses based on the relationships between the drivers, General Motors and/or Andretti, on their experience and on their nationality. For Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal of the newly created team, nationality will not be a problem, he who prefers to talk about meritocracy to get a seat at Cadillac.

"The obvious question is whether we will have American pilots and, personally, I do not see why an American pilot could not be selected on the basis of merit, the British leader said during a video conference, Reuters reports. The overriding objective is merit. Do we see any very talented, experienced drivers who are not currently on the grid? Yes, there are. We will be very busy talking to a number of people. My phone has been busy, that's for sure. There are easily half a dozen candidates, if not more, who have very good credentials to be in F1 or to return to it.

Herta still considered by Cadillac, but…

In this list of potential candidates, the name that comes up most frequently is that of Colton Herta. The 24-year-old American has proven himself in IndyCar (vice-champion in 2024, youngest winner in the history of the discipline) and he only needs one small point to obtain his Super License. Loyal to the Andretti team since 2020, the Californian has always been considered the favorite to occupy one of the two Cadillac seats, even when the candidacy was carried by Michael Andretti and then "recovered" by General Motors.

“He’s an incredibly talented driver, so it’s no surprise that we’re looking to sign Colton [Herta] along with a number of other drivers, said Graeme Lowdon, who nevertheless points out that the American must first validate his Super Licence before thinking about F1. "He won't be the last driver for whom there is uncertainty because of the Super Licence points, but we have to live with it. It's the rules, we have to respect them."

Zhou an outsider among candidates

Among other potential drivers, the list is long: between ex-F1 drivers (Mick Schumacher, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Pérez, Daniel Ricciardo…), the young shoots waiting for their chance (Theo Pourchaire, Felipe Drugovich) and IndyCar drivers who have nothing left to prove (Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden, Pato O'Ward…). Nevertheless, a driver seems to have a slight head start: Guanyu Zhou. Due to his nationality, the former Sauber driver – now a reserve driver at Ferrari, future Cadillac engine manufacturer – already has a significant advantage for the American manufacturer, given the importance of the Chinese market.

But the main asset of Guanyu-Zhou is his relationship with Graeme Lowdon, who is none other than… his manager. Nevertheless, the British leader assures that there will be no “favoritism” in the choice of drivers for 2026. "I think Guanyu Zhou has done an exceptionally good job under difficult circumstances over the past two years, Graeme Lowdon stressed regarding the Chinese adventure at Sauber. He doesn't necessarily need to explain his abilities because I've seen it all first-hand. There are checks and balances in place so that there's no favoritism towards him or any other driver we might have a relationship with. There are some very good ones, Zhou being one of them."

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