Who wants Bottas's seat? The fight for Cadillac's second car in 2027

Drivers. 8 November 2026. São Paulo GP.

Pérez is staying, Bottas's option hasn't been taken up, Colton Herta is one practice away from a super licence and Liam Lawson may be on the market. How Cadillac's last open seat could go.

Almost every seat on the 2027 grid is filled. Two questions are left: Racing Bulls, who haven't confirmed either driver, and the second Cadillac. And the answer to the first may well decide the second.

Where Bottas stands

Valtteri Bottas signed a multi-year deal to bring Cadillac into F1 this season. But the team has not yet taken up the option that would keep him for 2027, and it has already extended Sergio Pérez beyond next year (Formula1.com).

His comeback year has been hard on the numbers. Some of that is luck: the car has let him down far more often than his team-mate's.

Formula1.com adds a caveat: Cadillac often run the two cars differently to learn faster, so the gap may look bigger than it is. The team is said to value how Bottas has pulled the squad together and how clear his feedback is. In São Paulo both Cadillacs went out in Q1 again, Bottas 20th and Pérez 21st.

Colton Herta: the American option

Cadillac have never hidden that they want an American driver one day. "It's an American team, it races under an American flag," team principal Marcin Budkowski told Sky Sports. The obvious candidate is their test driver Colton Herta.

His problem is the super licence. Herta has struggled in Formula 2, 19th in the standings at the end of October, and he arrived in Brazil one point short of the 40 he needs. One more point comes from an F1 practice session of at least 100 km. On Friday he took Pérez's car in first practice and did 31 laps of the 4.3 km circuit, about 130 km, according to OpenF1. If the FIA counts it, Cadillac will have the option they have been waiting for.

Liam Lawson: the driver nobody expected to be available

A couple of months ago the driver market looked settled, and Liam Lawson was not part of this story. He is ninth in the championship with 83 points, the best driver outside the four top teams and more than double his rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad's 38. On Saturday he qualified fifth in the rain and starts today from third.

Yet his seat is the one in danger. Racing Bulls are expected to keep Lindblad, which leaves Lawson against Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, 19 and second in Formula 2. "There's definitely no assurance at the moment," Lawson told Sky Sports. Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane says the decision will come "in the coming weeks" and that, beyond pace, the team exists to bring young drivers through (PlanetF1).

That is why his name now comes up at Cadillac. Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok put it plainly on Sky: a Lawson and Pérez line-up "is suddenly looking very strong" (RacingNews365). Nothing official links him to the team yet.

The outsiders

Esteban Ocon, who has left Haas, is said to be hoping for a chance, and Red Bull reserve Yuki Tsunoda has also been linked with the seat. Formula1.com rates both as outsiders.

What comes next

Cadillac say they are in no rush: with the rest of the grid settled, there is nobody to beat to a signing. The order of events probably matters more than any single result. If Racing Bulls keep Lawson, Cadillac choose between experience in Bottas and the American story in Herta. If they let him go, the most in-form midfield driver of 2026 becomes a free agent, and Cadillac's choice gets a lot harder.

Today's race is a chance for all three to make their case. Follow it on our São Paulo race page.