BREAKING: F1 Star ‘Has Given Up’ After Bruising Season as Former Team Boss Reveals Who Could Be Replaced for 2027… Read More

Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner has delivered a brutal assessment of Cadillac’s debut F1 season, suggesting one of its experienced drivers could be dropped for 2027.

Cadillac’s difficult debut Formula 1 campaign has taken another dramatic turn after former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner claimed one of the team’s drivers appears to have “given up” and could be replaced ahead of the 2027 season.

Cadillac entered F1 in 2026 with an experienced driver pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. Between them, the two drivers boast 16 Grand Prix victories and 553 race starts.

However, their experience has not been enough to overcome the performance struggles of Cadillac’s machinery.

After 11 rounds, Cadillac sits at the bottom of the constructors’ standings, with Bottas and Perez among the three drivers yet to score a point this season.

Steiner delivers brutal assessment

Despite the team’s struggles, Steiner believes Perez has currently performed better than his teammate.

Excluding retirements, Perez has a slightly better average finishing position than Bottas, while he also leads their qualifying head-to-head 6-5.

Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner rated Bottas’ season as “D tier” and Perez’s as “C tier.”

“Perez is just better than him at the moment,” Steiner said.

Steiner then suggested that Bottas appears to have lost some of his motivation during Cadillac’s difficult campaign.

“What he [Perez] tries to do, I think Valtteri has given up a little bit on it. It looks like,” he added.

According to Steiner, Perez continues to push himself despite Cadillac’s lack of competitiveness, while Bottas appears more resigned to the team’s current situation.

One driver could be shown the door

Steiner was also asked whether Cadillac should focus on changing its drivers or improving its car.

He was clear that the team’s biggest priority should be improving the machinery. However, if Cadillac decides to make one driver change for 2027, Steiner believes Bottas would be the most likely candidate.

“I think in the moment they have to get the car better,” Steiner explained.

“But if they need to change one driver, obviously I think they’re gonna change Valtteri. I mean his results are not as good, and I think Valtteri expected bad, but not this bad.”

The comments could increase the pressure on Bottas as Cadillac looks to build a more competitive package for the future.

With the 2027 driver market expected to become increasingly active, the experienced F1 star may now need a strong turnaround to convince Cadillac that he remains the right choice for its long-term project.