Bottas Drops Major Cadillac Clue for 2027

Valtteri Bottas has revealed that any driver changes at Cadillac need to be approved by the board, and why he’s confident he’ll stay for F1 2027.

The Finn’s seat has come under scrutiny in recent weeks, due to the perception of a big performance gap between himself and Sergio Perez in the other Cadillac.

Bottas addressed the speculation when he sat down with the media at Interlagos on Thursday.

“I’ve been quite surprised about the amount of noise on that because I know what my situation is, and yeah, all I’ve heard is that the team has been happy with what I’m doing,” he said.

“But, at the same time, we know how this sport works, and especially now, everyone wants to be in Formula 1, and, if somebody sees an opportunity somewhere, they’re gonna try and go for it, one way or the other.”

“But yeah, the way our team is structured and the way decisions are made for the future, everything needs to be approved by the board.”

“And I believe that meeting is still yet to happen.”

“I’ve been convinced nothing has changed. So that’s where we are.”

The scrutiny has come by way of Bottas being consistently outpaced by Sergio Perez, particularly in the latter half of the season.

But the Finn pointed to how he believes he has not been given the car with which he can bring out his best performances, saying that “most of the time” he’s managing issues, rather than delivering to his full potential.

“The team knows what they can get out of me if everything works well, and I feel the car with confidence,” he said.

“I think they know that if they can give me a car, then I can deliver.”

Bottas spent a year on the sidelines before getting an F1 return with Cadillac in 2026, but less than one season on, his Grand Prix future looks in serious doubt.

Having struggled for form throughout the year compared to teammate Sergio Perez, other names have begun to emerge as potential replacements in 2027.

Now the Finn has had his say on the fight to save his F1 career.

Bottas joined the new Cadillac team this year with the hopes of a long-term stay, helping to build up the project as it aims to fight its way up the grid.

However, it’s his teammate Sergio Perez who’s been rewarded with a contract extension, keeping him at Cadillac till 2029.

Bottas has been slower than Perez in qualifying and finishing well behind him in the races, but has suffered his fair share of mechanical issues too — he had a huge crash after suspension failure last time out in Mexico, and broke down with engine failure in Austin.

Prior to this weekend’s Sao Paulo GP, the Finn has now had a chance to give his view on the situation.

“It’s never nice, you know?”

Bottas told The Athletic.

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

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

What’s made Cadillac’s choice trickier is that there isn’t a candidate that would be an obvious upgrade on Bottas should it decide to make a change, contributing to a decision being delayed while Perez’s contract has been agreed.

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

“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.”

Bottas says he believes a decision should be made “soon”, but noted the moving parts in such a process.

“With this structure that we have, they always need all the approvals from the board, which includes GM [General Motors] members, [majority shareholder] TWG members, all these people,” he emphasised.

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

Other options include American driver Colton Herta, with the F2 racer said to be the leading candidate as Cadillac has given him the required FP1 appearances to earn the points needed to acquire FIA Super Licence eligibility, after a poor year in Formula 2 stymied his chances.

Another option is Mercedes’ reserve driver Frederick Vesti, who declared his interest in the cockpit after he finished third in FP1 in last week’s Mexico City Grand Prix.

Bottas says he hasn’t had a car he can deliver in this F1 season and that Cadillac has bigger problems to solve than its drivers.

The noise around Bottas and his F1 seat is an ongoing saga.

He did sign a multi-year deal, but with an option.

Cadillac extended the deal with Sergio Perez before Mexico, but they did not clarify or mention the Finn’s fate.

At the same time, they are pushing to get Colton Herta his F1 super license.

He thought he had it in Mexico, but he finished one point short, and he gets another practice run this weekend in Brazil to earn it.

The American is not the only one in the frame.

Some reports link Frederik Vesti, Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon to the Cadillac F1 seat.

Bottas, however, insists he has the deal.

Cadillac could still opt to pay him out, but he says he has been told nothing has changed.