Bottas insists Cadillac contract is secure for 2027 as team principal stays silent

Valtteri Bottas has pushed back against speculation over his Formula 1 future, insisting his Cadillac contract for 2027 is intact — even as team principal Marcin Budkowski declined to publicly confirm either of his drivers would be staying on.

Speaking at the United States Grand Prix, Bottas said he was unconcerned by Budkowski’s evasive answers at Friday’s press conference. “Last year when I signed, I know the terms, so that’s all OK,” the Finn told reporters. He added that he had not even been aware of Budkowski’s comments and was unbothered once informed of them.

Budkowski, who has been in the role for just two-and-a-half months, was asked directly whether Bottas and teammate Sergio Perez held valid contracts for 2027. Rather than confirm it, he said driver matters would be communicated “by official releases from the team when the time is right” — a response that did little to quiet the rumours.

The speculation has been fuelled by Bottas’ recent struggles for both qualifying and race pace. Esteban Ocon, who lost his Haas seat to Formula 2 championship leader Rafael Camara, was named in reports as a potential replacement, alongside Cadillac test driver Colton Herta — despite a difficult F2 campaign of his own — and Red Bull reserve Yuki Tsunoda.

Ocon is understood to be moving towards an Aston Martin reserve role rather than a Cadillac drive, which would remove one name from the equation. But the ambiguity around Budkowski’s position leaves the situation unresolved.

Both Bottas and Perez signed multi-year contracts when Cadillac entered Formula 1 for 2026, though the precise conditions required to trigger the 2027 extension remain unclear. When asked whether any scenario could see him absent from the grid despite holding a contract, Bottas was philosophical: “I mean, it is Formula 1. If cows could fly, you know… anything can always happen.”