Jacques Villeneuve: Bottas and Pérez — a good choice

      In their debut season for Cadillac, experienced drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez will be racing for the team. The 1997 world champion believes the American team made the right call in betting on experience rather than inviting rookies.

      Jacques Villeneuve: "Experience is important for a new team, but experience comes in different forms — good and bad. Experience does not mean a driver is fast or great, but Bottas at one time beat Lewis Hamilton and played a very active role in pushing Mercedes forward. He had a hard time at Sauber. I think he simply lost interest in that team. But if you take Bottas of the Mercedes years, you get a driver with an excellent image. As for Pérez, he has won, and will bring money with him.

      I know the team was expected to sign a young or American driver, but I think they made the right decision. They have many issues to resolve before the start of the 2026 season. Cadillac are a debuting team, and they have two drivers who have worked at different teams, with different engines and different chassis. All of this will allow engineers to obtain a large amount of information to work with.

      I believe they are on the right track. Fewer questions, more sponsors — all these factors make the team more serious. I think they made the right decision."