Valtteri Bottas refutes any claims regarding the possibility of losing his Cadillac position for the 2027 F1 season.
Valtteri Bottas asserts that Cadillac is satisfied with him, and his contract for 2027 is “all good,” despite recent speculation concerning his future in Formula 1.
The Finnish driver’s recent struggles with both qualifying and race speed have sparked rumors in the driver market. Esteban Ocon, who lost his position to Formula 2 championship frontrunner Rafael Camara at Haas, has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Bottas’ seat; other names include Cadillac test driver Colton Herta, despite his challenging F2 season, and Red Bull reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda.
In this scenario, Cadillac team principal Marcin Budkowski – who has been in the role for two and a half months – was queried during Friday’s press conference at the United States Grand Prix about Ocon potentially being a candidate for a reserve role, and his response was ambiguous.
“Well, as a team principal, I’m sure my colleagues would agree, you receive calls and inquiries from every driver or driver manager available on the market,” Budkowski stated. “Numerous drivers and managers have reached out to me. I won’t disclose who it is or who it isn’t, but practically everyone who’s available has been in contact, as one would expect.
“However, I think this is the last place where I would discuss anything regarding the driver line-up. My marketing and communications team would have my head if I did that.”
When pressed on whether Bottas and Sergio Perez have valid contracts for 2027, the Polish principal intriguingly remarked: “Once again, this is the last place I would comment on driver contracts, and generally, it’s not something that should be addressed in the press. This will be handled through official announcements from the team when the time is right.”
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing, speaks to team principal Marcin Budkowski
Since both drivers entered into ‘multi-year’ agreements when they joined Cadillac for 2026, it remains unclear what conditions – if any – need to be fulfilled for their 2027 extensions to be activated.
Ocon is thought to be leaning toward an Aston Martin reserve role instead of the Cadillac position, but does that mean Bottas’ seat is indeed secure?
When asked if the team had provided him with assurance for 2027, the veteran with 264 races replied: “Yes – I mean, when I signed last year, I’m aware of the terms, so that’s all good.”
Questioned by Motorsport.com regarding Budkowski’s comments on Friday and if he found those ambiguous responses surprising, Bottas replied that he was both unaware of those statements and unfazed.
Regarding any scenario where he might not be racing for Cadillac despite ostensibly having a contract for the 2027 season, Bottas reflected: “I mean, it is Formula 1. If cows could fly, you know… anything can happen in this sport. But as of now, they appear pleased with what I’m delivering. I believe that’s what truly matters.”
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