ColatoxicPinto might not be pleased with this lol Jack Doohan is in the frame for a sensational switch to the all-new Cadillac entry for the F1 2026 season. As speculation grows surrounding who the all-new operation will hire, Doohan has emerged as one potential option.
Savvy view in my opinion: Jenson Button thinks Mercedes should drop Kimi Antonelli to make way for Max Verstappen Jenson Button's take on Mercedes driver line-up headache. “So, to replace Max with him, it just seems like a strange move. I know they've got the young Kimi Antonelli, who's 18, who could be a future star. But we still don't know that. “Whereas George is there, he is good, and you need two very competitive drivers with this new era of the sport. Next year, obviously lots of regulation changes, car change, engine change. So, for me, George and Max would be a better line-up.”
How Red Bull controls Max Verstappen’s future and why he can’t leave Mat Coch4 hours ago Max Verstappen's fate is in Red Bull's hands. Speculation linking Max Verstappen with a move away from Red Bull has remained rampant, but it is far from a foregone conclusion. https://www.planetf1.com/news/red-bull-max-verstappen-contract-future-mercedes-why-he-cant-leave-crb
I hope it's Kimi and Max as teammates. George is fast, but Kimi got so much potential and is already showing he is as fast Russell.
Kimi has had a bad run of races and is not in my opinion Max-esque just yet. He completely destroyed his confidence in Monza last year and has admitted that event continues to bother him. He is not ready for a top team overall and should have had a year as a test/reserve or at Williams etc. They are in a bad position with him vs a Russell and Max potential team. I dont see that happening anyway. Max will ride out RedBull next year. Kimi and George will continue. Im thinking all the hype on a Max move is about first option deals made, possibly, for 2027 if Max feels RedBull is less than competitive in new PU/Aero trim. Jensen has a solid view of this overall. Toto probably knows this. Kimi not being at Mercedes but in another place is not the end of his world at all. Toto messed up by not taking Carlos and parking Kimi in Reserve. F1 should take its 'wealth' and separate in season testing from the idiotic Budget Cap and allow teams to test current cars and train new drivers in reserve. Driving old cars under zero racing stress is not optimal at all. It would also help Pirelli develop tires as well. This wont happen as Liberty needs coerced drama for its marketing machine so limit development and testing.
The reserve driver should be allowed to drive last years car at least 48 days a year and that car not subject to any budget cap on any circuit qualified to run F1 races (and not occupied at that date). That way if/when you need him, he is used to something like this years car. That way if/when he does not pan out, you can choose a better candidate for reserve driver.
Wolff: Russell and Antonelli are Mercedes' "absolute priority" despite Verstappen interest Mercedes F1 boss pours cold water over imminent move for world champion Max Verstappen Speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF, Mercedes boss Wolff has said continuing with Russell and Antonelli is the "absolute priority" for him, and has played down any "big surprises" over the summer break.
That's too much of a gamble. Besides: If I were the principal of Cadillac I'd go with one proven driver (like Alonso) and one US American to sell cars.
Good luck with just about EVERYTHING in that sentence. Cadillac in WEC only has 1 American driver, Sebastian Bourdais, and the rest of the drivers are from different countries. That being said, you have 4 issues going on: 1) It's not like Cadillac production cars are flying off the showroom floors since Cadillac is in WEC. 2) Cadillac, as a car and suv company, is lost and they're still trying to identify themselves as they try to compete against BMW and Mercedes Benz. 3) What American driver knows the F1 tracks currently on the 2025 calendar? Sorry, but you're going to have to go with F1 drivers that have past experience. 4) CadillacF1 is going to struggle it's 1st 5 years in F1 and will probably be backmarkers in the F1 grid. They should have Gene Haas on speed dial for more direction.
Agreed. Which is why Max' talent would be totally wasted on them. As for the US driver: I'm sure there's some Andretti somewhere that Michael wants to plant in the #2 seat. There seems to be an endless supply of them.
I doubt if having an American driver in F1 would have any influence in Cadillac sales. For a start, Cadillac should try to market its cars outside the US !
With the double taxation system, is US citizenship an advantage for big international earners ? I don't think so. There are some wealthy US nationals who settle in Europe and renounce their US citizenship.
I don’t think Bourdais is a big earner it’s almost impossible to renounce US citizenship and if you do they charge you a big “exit tax”
Even if you are not a massive earner, it certainly hurts if you get taxed TWICE !! To renounce US citizenship, there are legal hurdles to overcome to achieve it; it's lengthy and costly. Also a lot of pressure it put on those who apply to discourage them.
