Cadillac have already confirmed Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as their 2027 pairing, with both contracts running through next season. A fresh report out of Switzerland suggests that lineup may not be as settled as it looks.
Veteran motor racing journalist Roger Benoit, writing in Swiss daily Blick, says Cadillac’s new leadership is considering reshaping its pairing for a second season, with Bottas the more vulnerable of the two incumbents. The claim remains unconfirmed by Cadillac, and no team statement has been issued in response.
The Finn insists he is going nowhere. Speaking to Finnish media in early June after an earlier wave of speculation, he was emphatic.
“I know what my contract says, and the team supports me 100 percent. I will definitely be here next year as well,” Bottas said.
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Perez has taken a similar line. Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss and team principal Marcin Budkowski both insisted the Mexican was locked in for 2027 when Williams speculation surfaced over the summer.
The Budkowski factor
Benoit frames Ocon’s case around his existing relationship with Budkowski, who took charge at Cadillac in August as Graeme Lowdon’s replacement.
Budkowski ran Alpine’s technical operation during Ocon’s time with the French manufacturer, including the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix win that remains Ocon’s only victory in Formula 1. According to the Blick report, carried in English by autoracing1, Budkowski “is said to have good relations with the Frenchman.”
The financial picture would be awkward. Benoit writes that cutting Bottas would mean paying out his “multi-million dollar contract,” a cost most first-year teams would hesitate to swallow during an initial build-out phase.
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Ocon left looking for a plan
Haas and Ocon confirmed on 30 September that the Frenchman would leave at the end of 2026, with Ferrari junior and Formula 2 frontrunner Rafael Camara the likely replacement.
Ocon has been clear about what he wants next. Speaking to reporters on 8 October, he batted down any suggestion of racing in another series in 2027.
“That’s where I deserve to be. If I look at the results and what I’ve shown in Formula 1, I deserve to be in Formula 1,” Ocon said.
He has not ruled out a reserve role for 2027 if a race seat does not come together.
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“That will be, if there are no possibilities to race next year, that’s what I would do,” he added, referring to the kind of third-driver position he held at Mercedes in 2019.
Which 2027 seats are still open
Six seats on the 2027 grid remain publicly unconfirmed. Mercedes is widely expected to retain George Russell and Kimi Antonelli without having formally announced the pairing, and Haas has Oliver Bearman effectively locked in alongside Camara. Racing Bulls’ two seats are the other open slots, with Liam Lawson and junior Arvid Lindblad regarded as the leading candidates and a decision expected in the coming weeks.
If Benoit’s reporting proves accurate, a Cadillac seat would re-enter that mix. If Bottas’s own position holds, Ocon’s realistic options for 2027 narrow back to a reserve role and a 2028 return.
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