Which driver should definitely sign for the new Formula 1 team Cadillac according to Johnny Herbert and why Mick Schumacher is probably not their first choice
In the 2026 Formula 1 season, Cadillac will be a completely new team on the grid. This means there will be two additional driver slots in motorsport’s “premier class”. And if it were up to many German fans, Mick Schumacher would get one of the two Cadillac cockpits.
Johnny Herbert doesn’t think so. Speaking to SambaSlots.com, Michael Schumacher’s former Formula 1 teammate explains: “Of course Mick Schumacher can return to Formula 1, but I think he’s pretty low on Cadillac’s wish list.”
It should not be forgotten that Schumacher has been out of Formula 1 for a while, says Herbert. That’s right: the young German’s active time was quite a few years ago. In 2021 and 2022, Schumacher competed as a regular driver for the US team Haas, scoring points twice in two seasons. He then worked as a test and reserve driver for Mercedes for two years.
Herbert says he “probably didn’t have a particularly successful time in Formula One,” but pays tribute to Schumacher’s performance at Alpine in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). There, Schumacher is doing “well,” says Herbert, asking, “Is that perhaps even more fulfilling for him?”
The fact is, Schumacher wanted to get out of his role as a reserve driver by the end of 2024 in order to fully focus on racing.
Why Perez would be the ideal Cadillac driver
Involuntarily, however, Sergio Perez’s Formula 1 career came to an end at the same time: he was shown the door by Red Bull, even though his contract had been extended until 2026 just months earlier.
And if Cadillac is interested in an ex-Formula One driver, it’s Perez, says Herbert. He sees the pairing of Perez and Cadillac as “the perfect combination” because it allows the team to “address various American markets” on the commercial side.
In addition, Perez is better than his reputation: “As we saw in retrospect, he did a good job at Red Bull. He wasn’t perfect. He didn’t win a title. But he showed that he had good speed. And consistency was probably the only aspect in which he lagged behind compared to Max Verstappen.”
That is why Herbert believes that Perez would be “an asset for Cadillac”, because the new US team would have a “good driver with experience” in Perez, and that could “only benefit a newcomer – in the car, in the factory and also in the different markets,” says Herbert.
Especially as Perez has certainly not yet left the Grand Prix scene. “It’s not as if he just gave up,” says Herbert. “He’s still passionate about Formula One. That’s great to see. And I think he and Cadillac would be a perfect combination.”
