General Motors Pushing for Herta to Replace Bottas

American automotive giant General Motors is weighing up a major reshuffle in its Formula 1 driver lineup. Cadillac management is evaluating the possibility of replacing veteran Valtteri Bottas with youngster Colton Herta, who could partner Sergio Perez from next season.

The battle for the second seat has intensified after Perez extended his contract until the end of 2029 just ahead of his home race in Mexico City. Unconfirmed reports suggest Bottas remains in contention for 2027, but the Finnish driver has no guarantees over his future as Herta's bid continues to gather momentum.

Paddock sources indicate that General Motors is keen to promote Herta from his test driver role straight into a race seat for 2027, despite an underwhelming Formula 2 campaign this year. GM is backing the Cadillac F1 project and is slated to manufacture its own power units from 2029. However, elements within team management would prefer to retain Bottas for the sake of continuity and stability—crucial assets for a squad trying to climb off the back of the grid.

Other drivers are also eyeing the vacant seat. Esteban Ocon has already held talks with Cadillac, while Yuki Tsunoda has also been linked with the team.

Cadillac has yet to publicly disclose the length of its drivers' contracts. Team principal Marcin Budkowski refused to be drawn on the matter during the Austin race weekend:

For his part, Bottas has repeatedly insisted that he remains relaxed and fully clear on where he stands.

Nevertheless, on-track results are piling pressure onto the Finnish veteran. In races where both cars have reached the chequered flag, Perez leads head-to-head 6-1 against Bottas. While the team often splits strategies across both cars to collect data, the performance gaps have occasionally been stark. Bottas did secure the team's best finish with 13th place, but in Singapore his pace was roughly 1.5 seconds per lap slower than his teammate's with no apparent technical issue.

Herta will take over Bottas's car for Free Practice 1 in Mexico City, marking his fifth Friday outing. To secure the final point required for an FIA Super Licence, the American needs to complete 100 kilometres—equivalent to exactly 24 laps of the circuit.

Earlier in the season, former team boss Graeme Lowdon dismissed rumours of Herta replacing Bottas as "completely false". However, Herta himself noted after practice in Austin: "I think in the next few weeks I'll find out what lies ahead."

Cadillac hierarchy is in no rush to make a final call, as none of the potential candidates currently hold alternative offers for a race seat elsewhere on the grid.