Should You Pick Cadillac in F1 Fantasy? The 2026 Verdict

In March the advice was to wait for data before picking Cadillac. The data is in.

After 15 rounds, Cadillac are the only team on the grid without a championship point. Valtteri Bottas has the team's best Grand Prix finish, 13th in China. Sergio Pérez's best is 14th. Both drivers have had a string of retirements.

The closest Cadillac have come was Monaco, where Pérez crossed the line tenth. He was then penalised for being out of position at a restart and dropped to 15th, losing what would have been the team's first point.

That is a respectable start for a brand-new team, which is how much of the paddock has judged it. For F1 Fantasy, it is a different story.

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Why Cadillac are hard to recommend

The scoring floor is too low. Finishing outside the top ten scores nothing for position. Without points finishes, a Cadillac driver's weekend depends on small gains from positions and overtakes, which can be wiped out by a single bad race.

Retirements cost 20 points each. A Grand Prix DNF is -20. Cadillac's reliability record this year means that risk is real every weekend. One retirement cancels out several weekends of small gains.

The constructor needs both drivers. Constructors score from both drivers plus qualifying bonuses. With neither driver regularly getting out of Q1, the Cadillac constructor rarely earns those bonuses and can lose a point when neither reaches Q2.

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When a Cadillac pick can make sense

There are only narrow cases:

As a budget filler. After a season without points, Cadillac's assets are likely to be among the cheapest in the game. Check their current prices in the app. If one cheap slot is what lets you afford the premium drivers you want elsewhere, a Cadillac driver can fill it. Pick the one with the better recent reliability, and accept that the slot will score little.

With No Negative active. No Negative zeroes out negative scores, including DNFs. If you are playing it anyway, the main downside of a Cadillac driver disappears for that weekend.

At chaotic races. Wet races with lots of retirements, such as a rain-hit Sepang or Brazil, are the most likely place for Cadillac's first point. That is a long shot, not a plan.

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Pérez or Bottas?

Pérez has had the better of the head-to-head in races this season, and Monaco showed he can get the car near the points in the right circumstances. Bottas has the team's best result. Neither has a clear edge in scoring. If you need one as a filler, base the choice on price and who has had fewer recent retirements.

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The verdict

For most teams, leave Cadillac alone for the rest of 2026. Use a cheap slot on a midfield driver from a team that scores points regularly, even if it costs slightly more. The only real exception is when a Cadillac driver is the difference between affording a premium driver or not.

The budget strategy guide covers how to use cheap slots well.

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Frequently asked questions

Have Cadillac scored any points in F1 2026? Not after 15 rounds. They are the only team without a point. Pérez finished tenth in Monaco but was penalised to 15th after the race.

Is a Cadillac driver a good F1 Fantasy budget pick? Only as a last resort. They are likely to be among the cheapest drivers, but they rarely score and retirements cost 20 points each. A cheap driver from a team that regularly scores points is usually better value.

Should I pick the Cadillac constructor? No. Constructors depend on both drivers scoring and qualifying well. With neither driver regularly reaching Q2, the Cadillac constructor earns very few points.

Who is better in F1 Fantasy, Pérez or Bottas? There is little between them. Pérez leads the race head-to-head this season, while Bottas has the team's best finish. Choose on price and recent reliability.