Barretto: Bottas favourite for Cadillac's second 2027 seat, Herta in contention

Cadillac has yet to commit to the contract option that would keep Valtteri Bottas in its line-up for 2027, leaving the team's second seat unresolved. Formula 1 correspondent Lawrence Barretto still considers Bottas the favourite, but says Colton Herta is firmly in contention to replace him. Sergio Perez is confirmed to continue with Cadillac from 2027 onwards.

Barretto says Cadillac is weighing whether to stick with its initial preference for experience or change its driver mix. Bottas returned to the grid after a year as Mercedes' third driver and has delivered Cadillac's best result so far, 13th place. His season has included eight retirements; in Austin, he pulled off the track with a suspected power-unit issue. Only Lance Stroll has recorded more DNFs, with 11.

Perez leads Bottas 10-8 in qualifying. In races both finished, Perez came out ahead 6-1; he also had the faster lap of the two Cadillac drivers at 14 Grands Prix, compared with three for Bottas. Barretto adds a caveat: Cadillac often uses different approaches and strategies across its two cars to accelerate its learning. The team is understood to be pleased with Bottas's work, particularly the way he has galvanised the group and conveyed his feedback on the car, Barretto writes.

Herta, Cadillac's test driver, sits 19th in the F2 standings and has struggled to make an impact there, but impressed the team in four FP1 sessions this year. Cadillac has long wanted to field an American driver, while insisting any signing would be based on merit. Barretto says Esteban Ocon is hoping for an opportunity after leaving Haas, while Red Bull reserve Yuki Tsunoda has also been linked with the seat; both are considered outsiders.

Cadillac is in no rush to decide, with nearly every other line-up settled apart from Racing Bulls, Barretto writes. Herta needs one more superlicence point, which he can secure with at least 100km of running in another FP1 session. Barretto reports that sources expect him to be in the car for first practice in Mexico to earn it.