Red Bull driver surprisingly added to Cadillac F1 list

Yuki Tsunoda has emerged as a possible candidate to become one of Cadillac's two F1 drivers in 2026, RacingNews365 understands.

The American team is currently evaluating candidates for its driver line-up, with Red Bull's Tsunoda being added to the list of possibilities, especially after links with Aston Martin cooled, despite Honda joining as works engine partner in 2026.

The reason for this is that both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso are under contract for next season, meaning Tsunoda would have had to accept a reserve driver position and voluntarily step down from a race seat.

In recent weeks, it has become clear that the British Grand Prix would be an important race for the new Cadillac project, with senior figures from the US travelling to Silverstone, with talks set for multiple candidates, with Sergio Perez known to be in talks with the team.

Valtteri Bottas is also set for another round of talks, with the Mercedes reserve driver making light of the situation with a recent video on his social media talking about two seats in a Cadillac road car. 

Other candidates the paddock has linked to be in talks include Felipe Drugovich, Zhou Guanyu, Jak Crawford, and Jack Doohan. 

With the addition of an 11th team in 2026, and two extra race seats, Cadillac has not been short of interest since its bid was formally accepted, but it is still unclear if the team only favours experienced drivers or a mix with a young driver. 

The latter was the decision taken by Audi, which signed veteran Nico Hulkenberg and reigning F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.