Lowdon wipes Ricciardo off list: "If I'm trying to convince anyone, it's the wrong person"

Formula 1 is halfway through its current season, and the uncertain year of 2026 is drawing ever closer. While questions about the sport's evolution are already on everyone's minds, another popular question is who will be driving Cadillac, the 11th team on the grid.

Cadillac, the new American team, is preparing its entry into the sport with launch parties and sponsorship deals. However, with two seats still open, the question of who Cadillac will sign remains.

Based on claims reported in the press so far, the American team is more interested in pilots with years of experience in the sport. They aim to accelerate their efforts to establish themselves in the sport through the experience of their pilots.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are the top contenders for the Cadillac seat. Ferrari test driver Zhou Guanyu and retired F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo are also on the list.

However, speaking to the High Performance Podcast, Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon said Australian driver Ricciardo would be “the wrong choice” for Cadillac, a view the retired driver himself confirmed.

Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team

Photo: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“Yeah, I think he's actually said publicly that he's not interested in Formula 1,” Lowdon said.

The British team boss isn't wrong about that. In December 2024, a video of Ricciardo, when asked about his thoughts on Cadillac, saying, "No, that's all I can say," went viral on social media. Similarly, in a recent interview with Formula 1, he discussed his retirement, giving no indication of a potential return to the sport.

When asked if the Australian was still being considered for the seat despite his reluctance, Lowdon said it would not be a good idea to try to change Ricciardo's mind.

"If I'm trying to persuade anyone, it's the wrong person," Lowdon said. "You don't need to persuade any Formula One driver to jump in the car."

“There is no problem for me, everyone can make their own decision,” he said.

With the Cadillac option out of the way, we may have seen Ricciardo on the Formula 1 circuit for the last time in 2024. So, if Ricciardo's name is also off the list, what does this mean for Cadillac's future driver lineup?

Lowdon stated that the list of candidates in the program he attended included 6-10 pilots.

Bottas, who particularly excited fans with his social media post in which he referred to his Cadillac seat as "a nice seat," stands out among the other drivers. Furthermore, his experience and desire to return to the racing calendar as a full-time driver make the Finn a stronger candidate in the team's eyes.

Perez, who has been the top contender since Formula 1 approved Cadillac's entry into the sport, remains on the list. The Mexican driver, whose departure from Red Bull at the end of the 2024 season remains a question mark, has been consistently linked with Cadillac due to his North American heritage and experience in the sport.

The newest addition to the grid, Cadillac's driver lineup, is just one of the many uncertainties surrounding the 2026 season. It remains a mystery when Cadillac will make its driver selection, a decision that should be made well before preseason testing begins in January.