Ranked: The ten drivers on Cadillac shortlist in order of likelihood

With the official confirmation that Cadillac F1 has earned approval to join the Formula 1 2026 grid comes new waves of speculation about the drivers who will represent the team in its inaugural year.

Ten drivers have emerged as strong potential options that fit one of Cadillac’s two preferences: That one driver be a veteran, and that another driver be qualified American. We’re going to look at all those options and rank them based on their likelihood of joining Caddy, starting with the least likely drivers on the shortlist.

Ranked: The ten drivers on Cadillac F1 shortlist in order of likelihood

P10 Max Esterson

American racer Max Esterson is making his Formula 2 debut in 2025, racing with Trident. He’s one of the few Americans on the European open-wheel ladder and almost certainly will be hoping to have a shot at a Cadillac seat come 2026.

To do so, Esterson will need to have a stunning year; his low finishes in Formula 3 over the past two seasons mean that he’ll need to place in the top three championship positions in F2 to amass the requisite super license points, which is sure to be a big ask for a driver still getting his feet wet.

P9 Kyle Kirkwood

Over on X, new IndyCar commentator Will Buxton was asked what drivers he’d like to see in contention for a Cadillac F1 seat, and while he mentioned Colton Herta, he also pointed to another Andretti Global IndyCar driver: Kyle Kirkwood.

The 26-year-old American would be a compelling choice, but his best finish in IndyCar these past three years has been seventh in the championship — which is only enough for 7 super license points.

To qualify for a super license, Kirkwood would need to either win the IndyCar championship this year, or finish second and complete 100 km of testing during three different Free Practice sessions during a Grand Prix weekend. That would be a big ask for any driver, let alone one who has yet to demonstrate his ability to contend for an American open-wheel championship.

P8 Daniel Ricciardo

Even before Daniel Ricciardo was let go from Racing Bulls partway through 2024, fans were linking his name to Cadillac as a potential option for the future, and those rumors only ramped up when it became clear the Australian was no longer in the running for a Red Bull seat.

While Ricciardo is about as American as you can get without actually being born in the United States, and while he also has ample experience in the sport, a fan asking the driver about a potential return to F1 was met with a very definitive statement from Ricciardo: “I’m done.”

Further, Ricciardo’s appearance on Netflix’s Drive to Survive Season 7 seemed to suggest that he felt he had reached the natural conclusion of his career in Formula 1. He could be enticed back with a strong Cadillac offer, but it doesn’t seem particularly likely.

P7 Alex Palou

Another IndyCar star whose name has been tied to Cadillac F1 is none other than Alex Palou, who wrapped up his third title in the American open-wheel series last season and who has already taken victory in 2025.

Palou has the requisite super license points required to enter Formula 1 thanks to those championships, but it is admittedly a little difficult to imagine how Palou would fit into Cadillac’s plans. Born in Spain, he could theoretically serve as something of an American open-wheel ambassador at Cadillac, but he wouldn’t be an American — and for all of his IndyCar success, he still couldn’t be considered a ‘veteran’ of Formula 1.

Further, Palou was involved in legal fiasco when it was revealed that he’d inked contracts with both McLaren Racing and with Chip Ganassi Racing for 2024; the Spaniard is still in the throes of various lawsuits regarding that dispute and has also inked a multi-year deal with CGR. The legal wranglings alone could be more than enough for Cadillac to avoid Palou.

P6 Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas doesn’t have a Formula 1 ride this year. Valtteri Bottas is on record as stating that he’s looking for a Formula 1 ride for 2026. Cadillac is looking for a Formula 1 veteran. Of all our potential drivers thus far, Bottas looks to be the most qualified and the most ideally aligned for a role with the team.

But would he be the first option?

While Bottas has raced for the likes of Mercedes, his most recent stint in the sport saw him bogged down in the back of the field with Sauber. At 35 years of age, the Finn is nearing the end of his career in the sport, which means he may not be able to commit to Cadillac for the long term to see the team through its first few years of development.

Bottas remains a strong option, but there are even stronger choices.

More on Cadillac F1:

? Cadillac F1: Everything you need to know about the new 11th team

? Four reasons why GM’s huge F1 arrival makes so much sense

P5 Sergio Perez

Like Bottas, Sergio Perez is on the older end of the free agents that Cadillac could choose from, but he does come with a few benefits that Bottas is lacking.

First and foremost, Perez comes with ample financial backing from Mexican companies like Telmex and businessmen like Carlos Slim. He also has personal ties to companies like Banorte, ESPN, Jalisco, and Uber — all of which would link Cadillac to the Mexican market and create a strong North American team.

Further, Perez has just come off the back of a four-year stint with Red Bull Racing, which was the team to beat during that time. While Perez unfortunately didn’t live up to the team’s expectations in 2024, he’s likely to retain a significant amount of experience and know-how that could come in handy as Cadillac develops its 2026 challenger.

P4 Zhou Guanyu

Though he isn’t the most experienced of the free agents on this list, Zhou Guanyu does have one thing going for him: His manager is Graeme Lowdon, who has been signed as Team Principal of Cadillac.

The racer from China spent two years with the middling Sauber team, where he was unable to truly demonstrate his skill thanks to the limitations of the car. Still, his victory in the Formula 3 Asian Championship in 2021 paired with his third place in F2 that same year proves he has talent.

Lowdon clearly believes Zhou has something, and it’s also possible that the driver could absorb some key knowledge from Ferrari this season as he serves as the Scuderia’s reserve driver, which could benefit Cadillac as it debuts with Ferrari power units.

P3 Colton Herta

Of all the American IndyCar drivers linked to Cadillac F1, Colton Herta’s name has remained the standout. The 24-year-old from California has already clocked eight years in IndyCar, and he currently serves as a driver for Andretti Global — and it was those team ties that initially saw him linked with the F1 seat when it was Andretti in charge of the entry.

Still, Mario Andretti, advisor at Cadillac, has continued to link Herta’s name to the F1 seat. Thus far, the only thing holding him back is a super license.

By finishing second in the IndyCar championship in 2024, Herta earned 30 super license points; his results in previous years were negligible enough to mean that, should he want to race in F1, Herta would need to finish fourth or better in the 2025 IndyCar championship to earn that license — something that won’t be confirmed until the season wraps up in September.

Colton Herta would fit the bill as a strong American candidate should he earn those necessary points, but he’d still have a steep learning curve should he debut in F1.

P2 Yuki Tsunoda

At the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda will be out of a contract, and he already seems to understand that his future with the team is limited as the outfit leaves its Honda engines in the past.

If change is in the air regardless of how he performs with his team this season, why not explore other options, such as Cadillac?

Tsunoda is still young but would bring with him ample Formula 1 experience as a member of the Red Bull Racing family, during which time he’s demonstrated growth in both driving style and temperament.

Further, Tsunoda also has plenty of experience with Red Bull’s junior program, and Cadillac has expressed a desire to found a similar program of its own in order to refine its talent. The Japanese driver could be a valuable asset in helping Cadillac determine how it aims to create and use its junior program.

P1 Jak Crawford

Another potential American candidate for the Cadillac seat has often been overlooked: Jak Crawford.

The 19-year-old driver from Charlotte, North Carolina, has been committed to the European open-wheel ladder since 2020, when he competed in both the ADAC and Italian F4 championships. He’s since progressed through Formula 3 into Formula 2, where he’ll be competing in his second season this year with DAMS Lucas Oil Racing. And, as a member of the Aston Martin Driver Development Programme, Crawford already has testing experience behind the wheel of a contemporary Formula 1 machine.

By combining points for his results in F2 in 2023, plus the Formula Regional Asian Series and Formula 3 in 2022, Crawford already boasts 33 super license points. He’ll need to perform well in F2 this year — another fifth place or better — to meet the 40 required points over the past three years, but any outings in Free Practice 1 could aid that total.

Of all the potential options, Crawford remains the most viable American candidate.

Read next: How American Jak Crawford’s racing dreams evolved from NASCAR to Formula 1