Fred Vesti has expressed interest in taking a full-time seat at Cadillac for the 2027 Formula 1 season. The Danish driver is currently a reserve at Mercedes, and he views the American outfit as a clear pathway to a place on the grid, especially given the uncertainties surrounding Valtteri Bottas’ future.
Cadillac has already secured Sergio Perez for at least through 2027, but there is no parallel confirmation for the second car. Besides Vesti, Colton Herta is also among the names linked to possibly filling the seat, while he works to obtain the superlicense required to compete in the category.
Vesti has ties with the two manufacturers involved in his career. He has been part of Mercedes’ development program since 2021 and also competes for Cadillac in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the United States, where he secured three wins over the last two seasons.
The Danish driver highlighted that the work done with the American manufacturer has already allowed them to monitor his on-track performance. In an interview with Sky Sports F1, he made clear that he intends to leverage this relationship to move into Formula 1.
“I am extremely privileged to work with two incredible manufacturers, Mercedes and Cadillac. Obviously, competing with them in the sports cars has given them the opportunity to see what I can do over two years. This year, we were champions among the drivers, among the teams and among the manufacturers in IMSA, and that really shows the level at which we are working,” he said.
Vesti also acknowledged the peculiarity of maintaining ties with both brands and did not hide his preference for an opportunity with the American team: “There is no doubt, I have my eyes on that seat, and it would be a huge privilege to take that place,” he said.
The Mercedes reserve also used the moment to advocate that Formula 1 teams should trust rookies more. As an example, he cited Kimi Antonelli, who, in his view, demonstrates the potential of young drivers on the circuit.
“There is one thing I would say: look at Kimi. He has a chance to become world champion this weekend. He is twenty years old, a young driver showing Formula 1 what the younger generation can achieve. I think this should also serve as a signal to team principals to trust young talents. There is already plenty of experience on the grid. I think we need to trust the rookies more,” Vesti concluded.
