Bottas breaks silence as Cadillac considers replacing him

Valtteri Bottas has broken his silence on the growing speculation that his Cadillac F1 seat could be in jeopardy for the 2027 season.

The Finn, who returned to Formula 1 this year after a year on the sidelines, joined the new Cadillac team with hopes of a long-term stay.

But less than one full season in, his future is being questioned.

Bottas has been slower than teammate Sergio Perez in qualifying and finishing well behind him in races.

He has also suffered mechanical issues — a huge crash after suspension failure in Mexico and an engine failure in Austin.

Perez, meanwhile, has already been rewarded with a contract extension that keeps him at Cadillac until 2029.

Bottas’s own deal includes an option that could allow the team to make a change.

Speaking ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix, Bottas addressed the rumors directly.

“It’s never nice, you know?” he told The Athletic.

“It’s just extra distraction. But of course, over the years, I’ve learned to deal with it.”

He added: “It doesn’t help anything. So it’s a bit of a shame in a way. But it’s just how this sport works. The sport is getting more popular than it’s ever been, and everyone wants to be in Formula 1.”

“Everyone wants to find a way to get into Formula 1, one way or another.”

Bottas said he is still confident about his position — for now.

“At the moment, nothing has changed,” he said.

“The team still seems to be happy with what I’m doing. I know what the target is, it’s long-term. I know what my terms are in the paper.”

“So that’s why, to me at the moment, it’s just noise. That’s where we are.”

But he acknowledged that a decision on his future has not yet been made.

“With this structure that we have, they always need all the approvals from the board, which includes GM members, TWG members, all these people,” he emphasized.

“Everything needs to be approved before. But that’s, I think, pretty soon.”

Bottas also pushed back on the idea that the drivers are the team’s biggest problem.

“I think it’s pretty clear,” he said on media day in São Paulo.

“It’s pretty clear we have bigger problems to solve than the drivers at the moment. And yeah, I think Mexico was one.”

He pointed to the car’s performance as a key limitation.

“The team knows what they can get out of me,” Bottas said.

“Everything works well, and if I feel the car and then confidence. And I think they know that if they can give me a car, then I can deliver.”

“But so far, they haven’t really delivered a car that I can deliver in. So that’s where we are.”

Bottas said he came into the season expecting these difficulties.

“Honestly, that was always what I kind of expected coming into this year,” he said.

“I came here for trying to improve things in the future. For problem-solving and different mindset. Definitely not a mindset to fight for my seat.”

“And that’s not been in my head at all this year. It’s been all about trying to get things better and hopefully then have more fun next year.”

WHO COULD REPLACE BOTTAS?

The most frequently mentioned candidate is American driver Colton Herta.

Cadillac has been pushing to get Herta his FIA Super License, giving him the required FP1 appearances to earn the points needed for eligibility.