Cadillac F1 up for sale? Pérez stays calm, Bottas awaits the board's verdict

What we know about the sale

The story was first reported by Sportico, an American outlet covering the business of sport, before being picked up by Nextgen-Auto and RACER. TWG Global, run by Mark Walter, is said to be considering selling its stake in Cadillac F1. The team operates under TWG Motorsports, the group's racing arm, with backing from General Motors. RACER says it understands Sportico's initial report to be accurate.

The numbers are eye-watering. Again according to Sportico, as cited by RACER, Walter values the team at $3 billion and seven parties are interested. The outlet also estimates that around $1 billion has been spent setting up the team, on top of an anti-dilution fee of nearly $450 million paid to join F1. The exact shareholding has never been disclosed: TWG Motorsports is understood to be the majority owner, but the size of General Motors' stake remains unclear.

The U-turn raises questions. In August, responding to earlier rumours, TWG Global stated it was not considering a sale of the Cadillac team or any other part of TWG Motorsports. Asked by RACER this week, the group did not respond.

Pérez: "pretty relaxed"

Asked about it at Interlagos on Thursday, Sergio Pérez did not seem rattled. The Mexican, recently extended until 2029, says he knows the people behind the project and points out that General Motors is one of the biggest manufacturers on the grid. He does not expect the team to run into any trouble.

On the intentions of Dan Towriss and TWG, he was careful: he does not know whether they want to recoup part of their investment, but he does not see the team's structure changing. For him, the priority lies elsewhere: staying focused on racing and avoiding distractions. The financial questions are for the bosses.

Bottas waiting on the board

The news comes at the worst possible moment for Valtteri Bottas, whose future at Cadillac has yet to be settled. The Finn told RACER he is in regular contact with the team, which told him again after Mexico that it was not looking to change anything. But everything has to be approved by the board, which has not met yet. He says he is quite surprised by the amount of noise.

Speaking to Nextgen-Auto, Bottas stressed how hard it is to judge his performances and Pérez's when the car keeps suffering problems and retirements. In his view, the Mexican Grand Prix showed that Cadillac has bigger issues to fix than its drivers. Dan Towriss, for his part, told RACER that a scenario in which Bottas keeps his seat still exists.

Meanwhile, Colton Herta is knocking on the door. The American takes part in first practice this Friday in Brazil to earn the final point he needs for his Super Licence. Pérez admits the choice between the two will be tough, but believes experience matters a lot at this stage of the project.

The open questions are who could take over and how much weight General Motors will carry in the decision. In the meantime, Cadillac still has to finish its first season, with a garage living to the rhythm of rumours. The board will probably have the final say, on the shareholding as well as on Bottas's seat.