Salo backs Bottas for Cadillac, doubts Perez suitability

Former Formula 1 driver Mika Salo has advised Cadillac against signing Sergio Perez as the American outfit prepares for its 2026 F1 debut.

While Valtteri Bottas has been strongly linked with a move to the Andretti-inspired Cadillac project - including a Cadillac-themed post on social media - reports from British media suggest the Finn is now a leading candidate to secure the first seat at the new team.

Salo, a fellow Finn and former Toyota and Ferrari driver, believes Bottas would be an ideal choice.

"It's a new team, so experience is an asset," Salo told Ilta Sanomat. "Valtteri has good experience from Mercedes.

"He's now been able to feel and watch from the sidelines in peace, rather than drive, and I think someone like Valtteri would be absolutely the right choice."

Salo added that Bottas could also influence other key decisions during the team's setup phase.

"An experienced driver brings knowledge and skill to the team. He can also tell you who else might be worth hiring around him."

He said Bottas still has something to offer Formula 1: "I don't like to speculate on these things, but it would be good if Valtteri drove in F1 again next season. He's in the game, anyway.

"Finns are good for these projects – no politics, just straight to the point. A Finn would fit in really well with such a new team."

Cadillac is expected to pair a veteran driver with a younger talent, ideally an American from the domestic racing scene. Another possibility is Sergio Perez, who lost his Red Bull seat at the end of 2025.

Speaking to the BLCK MNKY program Desde El Paddock, Perez suggested Red Bull had regrets.

"An apology?" he said. "No, I think that in the end, that's how sport is, and decisions were made because there was already too much pressure, which they themselves ended up generating." Perez, also 35, is still supported by billionaire Carlos Slim’s network and now represented by Lebanese motorsport figure Khalil Beschir.

When asked about possible options for 2026, including Cadillac, Perez admitted: "It's going well, but it's still early. I think as the year progresses, everything will become clearer, and I'll be able to make a final decision.

"I know I won't be in Formula 1 this year, and we'll see what happens next year." But Salo is not convinced Perez is the right fit.

"I don't think Perez would be a good option," he said. "I would take two experienced European drivers who are not as inconsistent as Perez. If they can't find two, then a younger guy who can learn from the other."