F1: Cadillac Confirm Negotiations with Mick Schumacher

Since most teams are based in England, the Silverstone circuit typically sees many upgrades introduced – due to logistical convenience.

Silverstone’s location also gives an opportunity to senior personnel that do not always attend Grand Prix – such as Aston Martin’s Adrian Newey – to be present.

In the case of Cadillac, last weekend was an opportunity to continue their talks with drivers ahead of 2026.

The American team are yet to confirm who will be in their line-up next year. However, they cannot afford to postpone their decision too much longer.

During the summer break, which is only a few weeks away, negotiations between drivers and teams will intensify.

With drivers like Valtteri Bottas in demand elsewhere in the paddock, Cadillac must ensure they are active in talks with drivers.

The favourites to join F1’s 11th team are Bottas, Perez, and Zhou. Outside contenders, such as Yuki Tsunoda, could enter the mix over the coming months – depending on how the market evolves.

Speaking of outside contenders, Mick Schumacher held discussions with Cadillac in Silverstone.

Graeme Lowdon, Cadillac’s team principal, touched on these talks:

“The situation is pretty good for us at the moment,” he told Sky Germany.

“There are a lot of good drivers available—a mix of experienced drivers and new, up-and-coming drivers from Formula 2.

“I think we’ll see some movement in the driver market soon.

“Mick is great. He’s a very nice guy, I like him a lot.

“I’ve gotten to know him better now. He’s still young, but he already has Formula 1 experience.

“Sure, that was a while ago, but he’s kept up to date himself.

“He’s also done tests and is showing great interest in the project. We really like that. We like that a lot.”

Driver market activity set to intensify

At the beginning of the year, very little activity was projected in this year’s driver market.

Cadillac were the only team, with the exception of one or two others, without two confirmed names for 2026.

Things have become far more volatile in Formula 1, with question marks following next year’s line-ups at Mercedes, Red Bull, VCARB and Alpine.

In this environment, Cadillac must be vigilant to ensure they capitalise on any opportunities.

Yuki Tsunoda, for example, could unexpectedly become available later this year. Should the US team believe the 24-year-old is an exciting prospect, they might wait a little longer before signing both of their 2026 drivers.

Conversely, someone like Valtteri Bottas might require a more proactive approach.

The Finn is currently entertaining interest from Alpine, which might prompt Cadillac to making an early offer to secure his services.

It is unknown if Lowdon’s team will sign both drivers at once, or instead bide their time after finalising their first agreement.

Regardless, Mick Schumacher can still be considered a relatively unlikely option to join Cadillac.

What could still give the German driver hope is, as the last few weeks have demonstrated, there could be unexpected shifts in the market.