Bottas and Perez are a safe but obvious choice for Cadillac

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FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Turkish Grand Prix - Intercity Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey - October 10, 2021 Mercedes Valtteri Bottas celebrates after winning the race with third placed Red Bulls Sergio Perez REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

LONDON - Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, announced on Tuesday as Cadillacs 2026 driver lineup, represent a safe and obvious choice for the General Motors-backed teams debut Formula One season.

The pair are both multiple race winners, have more than 500 starts between them and were championship runners-up alongside two of the sports all-time greats Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Cadillac could not have chosen more experienced drivers to lead their opening campaign and help the sports 11th team negotiate the pitfalls of what will undoubtedly be a challenging start.

To that extent, signing such expertise -- and the inside knowledge of what makes a winning team -- is something of a coup.

Its the right combination, the right drivers at the right time, team CEO Dan Towriss told reporters after announcing multi-year deals for both.

There are a ton of amazing drivers out there... ultimately it was this experience and leadership of these two individuals that stood out among the rest.

There has been speculation about the drivers since Cadillacs entry was announced last year, but in the end there was no real surprise in choosing two men who will be 36 before next season starts.

Those who had hoped for an