Cadillac's 2027 Formula 1 driver line-up isn't yet finalised, with reserve driver Colton Herta among those in contention to replace Valtteri Bottas.
Both Bottas and Sergio Perez joined F1's 2026 new team Cadillac on long-term deals, but The Race understands the team hasn't made a final decision on who will drive for it next year.
In the Austin press conference on Friday, Cadillac team boss Marcin Budkowski left the door open when asked if Perez and Bottas will stay on for 2027.
"This is the last place I would comment on driver contracts, and in general, I think it's not something that is done in the press," Budkowski said.
"It's something which will be done by official releases from the team when the time is right."
Cadillac has to decide between sticking with the continuity of its two experienced drivers with knowledge of championship-winning teams or whether it's the right time to make a change with potentially bigger upsides for the future.
There's nothing to suggest Perez is at risk of losing his seat, as he's been the stronger Cadillac driver this year and has pushed the team hard behind-the-scenes to improve.
Bottas and Perez have been fairly evenly matched in qualifying this year, with Perez leading Bottas 13-9, but it's in the races where Perez has had a clear margin. Bottas has only spent 18% of the racing laps they've both been on track ahead of Perez.
Bottas has also had some particularly tough grands prix, including the last race in Singapore, where he was lapping around 1.5 seconds slower than Perez without a clear explanation.
That means his seat is in doubt for 2027, with 26-year-old Herta among those who could replace him.
Why "disappointing" F2 season hasn't hurt Herta's chances
Herta swapped IndyCar for Formula 2 this year with the specific aim of reaching F1 - something he came very close to with Red Bull's junior team in 2023.
Herta has had a self-described "disappointing" F2 campaign as he's 19th out of 22 full-time drivers with two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi remaining.
"Maybe a few more questions than answers for me, maybe more questions than going into it, so I'm fairly disappointed with everything on that side of things," Herta said at Austin.
"I'm just disappointed with how the year's gone; it's not been good at all."
It's unlikely Herta will stay in F2 for a second season next year, but he's made it clear he'd still like a racing programme of some kind next year, with F1 still the ultimate goal.
Cadillac isn't put off by Herta's disappointing F2 performances as it knew making the switch would be difficult, and it's been impressed by the work Herta has done in its F1 car.
It does mean, however, that Herta's championship finish is all but certain not to earn him any superlicence points from F2, but Cadillac is ensuring he'll reach the 40-point threshold.
Herta took part in his fourth FP1 of the year at Austin on Friday, but only three of those are eligible for the superlicence bonus point, as a technical issue at Monza meant he didn't clear the 100km of running necessary to gain the superlicence point.
That, added together with his IndyCar results - including 30 points for finishing runner-up to champion Alex Palou in 2024 - means he's now one point away from the threshold.
The Race understands Herta will do another FP1 before the end of the year to make sure he gets to 40 points so he can be an option for 2027.
Herta has also completed private F1 testing away from the circuit, having run in an Alpine as part of that team's Testing of Previous Cars programme at Portimao, where he ran in a ground effect-era car.
Cadillac doesn't have a TPC programme of its own, so, just as when it ran Perez in an old Ferrari in late 2025, it's struck a deal with a rival team to ensure Herta gets more mileage.
Since first gunning for an F1 entry under the Andretti banner, Cadillac has long stated its ambition to have an American driver if one can earn a seat on merit with Herta the most logical candidate.
Other contenders?
Herta isn't the only contender for Bottas's seat, as multiple drivers have been contacting Cadillac - it's the only ‘open' seat, with Racing Bulls only picking between Red Bull-contracted drivers.
Esteban Ocon is looking for a way to stay on the F1 grid next year after losing his seat to Ferrari junior Rafael Camara, but The Race understands he won't be joining Cadillac in a race or reserve driver role.
Instead, he's likely to take a reserve driver role at a different team such as Aston Martin.
Red Bull reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda is looking for a permanent return to the grid after his unexpected three-race return with Racing Bulls earlier this year.
Tsunoda's representatives have been contacting Cadillac over a 2027 opportunity and he is among the contenders.
Cadillac isn't in a rush to make a final decision, as none of the candidates have race seat options elsewhere.
Should it elect to replace Bottas for 2027, it would need to come to some kind of arrangement given he has a long-term deal with the team.