Cadillac rejects rumours of replacing Bottas with Colton Herta

Cadillac rejected social-media speculation that it planned to replace Valtteri Bottas with reserve driver Colton Herta. Team principal Graeme Lowdon told PlanetF1 the reports were “baseless and illogical,” a “complete fabrication” and had “no basis in truth.” The rumours followed Bottas appearing slower than teammate Sergio Perez in Canada and included suggestions of a switch ahead of the Monaco race, but Lowdon said those claims were wide of the mark. Lowdon defended both Bottas and Perez, saying they had been doing extra development work as Cadillac built up its operation and that outsiders did not understand those tasks. He said it was premature to judge Bottas on current standings and that the team needed to gather more data over the remainder of the season before making performance assessments. Observers and Cadillac noted the GM-backed project has been set back by the challenges of building a team from scratch; early teething problems and organisational complexity are influencing results more than any imminent driver change. The entry debuted this season as F1’s 11th team, sits 10th in the constructors’ championship and has not yet scored a championship point. Cadillac also pointed to practical and contractual limits on a mid-season change. Lowdon and reports emphasised that Herta does not hold the FIA Super Licence required to race in F1, PlanetF1 said Bottas is a valued member of the programme, and media accounts noted both drivers spent 2025 on the sidelines. Perez is a recent departure from Red Bull, and Bottas is understood to have a contract with an option to continue in 2027. Cadillac’s statements largely closed down immediate speculation while preserving the normal end‑of‑season evaluation process.