Frontrunners for Cadillac F1 seats in 2026 debut season revealed
Cadillac, owned by American automotive giant General Motors, will become Formula One's 11th outfit when they join the sport in time for new engine and chassis regulations next season.
As such, there is a host of interest and speculation surrounding their two driver spots. And Lowdon, formerly team principal with Marussia in the mid-2010s, admitted that Cadillac are in talks with Mick Schumacher, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, amongst others.
'We're talking to Mick,' Lowdon told The High Performance Podcast. Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael, has not raced in F1 since being axed by Haas in 2022.
Mercedes reserve driver Bottas and former Red Bull driver Perez were also confirmed to be in the running.
"Everyone wants to prove something else again,' Lowdon, who also represents Ferrari reserve driver Zhou Guanyu, added. "I never look at that as the biggest motivator. Our team is not there as a vehicle for someone to prove a point.
'Our team is there to provide a position on the pitch, if you like. For someone to prove what they can do for sure, but it's not the vehicle to show the world, prove a point or whatever.
"The driver is there to do the best that they possibly can for their team, and they should be motivated for the team around them as well. So, I'm less keen on people who kind of want to prove a personal point."
However, Lowdon confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo – dropped by Racing Bulls last year – is not on his shortlist.
'Actually, I think he's publicly said that he's not interested in Formula 1,' Lowdon replied, when asked about the Australian.
'If I need to convince someone, then it's the wrong person. You never need to convince a Formula 1 driver to jump in the car."
Cadillac, led by CEO Dan Towriss and advised by 1978 F1 world champion Mario Andretti, have less than eight months until they join the sport at next year's season-opener in Australia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Google partners with Youngkin and offers AI training courses to Virginia job seekers
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on Tuesday that Google will partner with his administration to provide free and low-cost artificial intelligence certification courses to Virginians as part of his office's ongoing effort to connect citizens to new jobs amid changes to the state's economy. The partnership, which he has described as an AI career launchpad, will provide Google-sponsored AI training courses for up to 10,000 Virginians at any given time, officials said at Google's office in the northern part of the state. The training opportunities will be listed on a job website that Youngkin launched earlier this year, in response to significant layoffs among federal workers by the Trump administration, including many workers from Virginia. 'All fields, all career movements somewhere along the way, are going to incorporate this next generation of technology,' Youngkin said at the news conference. The initiative comes with unemployment rising in Virginia, which has roughly 20,400 continued unemployment claims, state Secretary of Labor George' Bryan' Slater said after the news conference. Roughly 2,800 people initially filed unemployment claims during the first week of July, which is about 6.1 percent higher than the previous week. The AI webpage will feature the free courses as well as some low-cost learning opportunities, ranging 'from beginner friendly courses on AI fundamentals and practical workplace applications of artificial intelligence to bootcamps and degree programs offered by Virginia's leading-edge community colleges and universities,' according to the governor's office. Nicole Overley, commissioner of Virginia Works, said businesses have told her office that AI proficiency has become increasingly necessary in their industries. She said the training would help Virginians become competitive in the job markets where these very businesses are hiring. Overly confirmed that the training courses won't cost taxpayers anything and are being donated by Google. Bronagh Friel, head of partnerships at Google, said she was proud of the collaboration with the state. 'Google is committed to championing economic growth and opportunity in Virginia,' she said. ___ Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Reuters
21 minutes ago
- Reuters
US auto safety nominee calls for active oversight of self-driving cars
WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's nominee to head the nation's auto safety regulator will argue on Wednesday that the agency must actively oversee self-driving vehicle technology, a potential sign of a tougher approach than some critics expected. Jonathan Morrison, chief counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the first Trump administration, will testify to the U.S. Senate that autonomous vehicles offer potential benefits but also unique risks. "NHTSA cannot sit back and wait for problems to arise with such developing technologies, but must demonstrate strong leadership," Morrison said in written testimony seen by Reuters. The comments suggested NHTSA will continue to closely scrutinize self-driving vehicles. Some critics of the technology had expressed alarm over NHTSA staff cuts this year under a cost-cutting campaign led by Elon Musk, who was a close adviser to Trump and is CEO of self-driving automaker Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab. The Musk-Trump alliance prompted some critics to speculate that NHTSA would go easy on self-driving vehicle developers. But the relationship began to unravel in late May over Trump's spending plans, and the two are now locked in a feud. NHTSA said last month it was seeking information from Tesla about social media videos of robotaxis and self-driving cars Tesla was testing in Austin, Texas. The videos were alleged to show one of the vehicles using the wrong lane and another speeding. Since October, NHTSA has been investigating 2.4 million Tesla vehicles with full self-driving technology after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash. "The technical and policy challenges surrounding these new technologies must be addressed," Morrison's testimony said. "Failure to do so will result in products that the public will not accept and the agency will not tolerate." Other companies in the self-driving sector also were subjects of NHTSA investigations including Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Waymo, which last year faced reports its robotaxis may have broken traffic laws. Waymo in May recalled 1,200 self-driving vehicles, and the probe remains open. Regulatory scrutiny increased after 2023 when a pedestrian was seriously injured by a GM (GM.N), opens new tab Cruise self-driving car. The first recorded death of a pedestrian related to self-driving technology was in 2018 in Tempe, Arizona.
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump's 'formal process' to replace Fed boss Jerome Powell already underway
Donald Trump has launched a 'formal process' to replace the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said potential successors to Jerome Powell are already being identified. 'There's a formal process that's already started,' said Bessent. 'There are a lot of good candidates inside and outside the Federal Reserve. It's President Trump's decision and it will move at his speed.' Although Powell was appointed during Trump's first term, the President has been heavily critical of the Fed chairman since his re-election. Trump has accused Powell of being too slow to cut interest rates and this week described him as a 'knucklehead'. He added: 'We have a bad Fed chairman, really bad.' He said he wanted to appoint someone 'who is going to be able to lower the rates'. Trump's demands for the Fed to slash interest rates has brought the central bank's independence into question. Powell's term as chairman does not end until May next year, and he is due to remain on the central bank's board until January 2028. But Bessent suggested he should leave when his term is up.
