Valtteri Bottas’s position at Cadillac has come into question after Guenther Steiner assessed that the Finn may be losing motivation. For the former Haas boss, Sergio Perez has a clear advantage in the internal duel, and Bottas would be the most threatened driver in a potential change.
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After eleven races held so far in the 2026 Formula 1 season, Cadillac has yet to score points, being the only team without points so far. In the direct internal confrontation, Perez also has the advantage over his teammate, with six to five in qualifying sessions and six to three in races, considering only the races where neither of them retired.
In an appearance on the Red Flags podcast, Steiner gave a grade C to Perez and D to Bottas when evaluating the duo in the current season. The former Haas boss stated that he perceives a difference in the attitude of the two within the team.
“Perez is simply better than Bottas at the moment. What Perez tries to do, I think Valtteri has given up a bit, it seems,” Steiner said. According to him, the Mexican continues trying to extract more performance from the car, while Bottas appears to have lost some motivation.
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Steiner also assessed that the return to Formula 1 may have been different from what Bottas expected. After acting as Mercedes reserve driver last season, the Finn returned to the grid as a full-time driver in 2026 but has a Cadillac that remains at the back of the pack.
“If they need to change a driver, obviously I think they will change Valtteri. His results are not that good. I think Valtteri expected something different, but not this,” Steiner added. For the former manager, the combination of Bottas’s results and the advantage shown by Perez makes the Finn the most likely candidate to leave Cadillac if the team decides to replace one of its drivers.
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