Fred Vesti has made a direct pitch for a place on Cadillac’s Formula 1 grid in 2027, as the team considers its options for a seat currently occupied by Valtteri Bottas. Colton Herta has drawn much of the attention, while Vesti is also among the candidates being discussed alongside Bottas and Yuki Tsunoda as a potential team-mate to Sergio Perez.

The Mercedes reserve driver strengthened his case in Mexico City, where he finished third in the first practice session after replacing George Russell. Vesti was 0.111 seconds slower than Kimi Antonelli, and Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord described it as the most impressive of Vesti’s seven F1 practice outings to date.

Vesti said Mercedes had given him the chance to push on soft tyres, rather than focusing only on development work. Russell praised his performance and said he deserved an opportunity in Formula 1, adding that the team had wanted him to show what he could do.

“I’ve got my eyes on that [Cadillac] seat,” Vesti said after the session. “I believe I would be very, very good in that car.” He added that Formula 1 had been his goal since he began driving.

The 24-year-old says his experience inside Mercedes could be an asset for Cadillac. He joined the team’s driver academy in 2021 and has worked extensively in its simulator, contributing to the development of its 2026 car. Vesti said he had been involved from the early design stage and helped take findings between the simulator and the track.

He estimates that he has spent about 300 days in Mercedes’ simulator over five years, completing between 150 and 200 laps per day. Vesti argues that this work has given him knowledge that could help a smaller team make progress, alongside the speed and racecraft he believes he has demonstrated.

Vesti finished second in Formula 2 in 2023, 11 points behind champion Theo Pourchaire, and won six races. He said it had been frustrating not to reach F1 after that season, but that seeing former rivals progress had reinforced his belief that he could compete at their level.

He is already part of Cadillac’s top-class line-up in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but said his priority remains Formula 1. “F1 is the only thing I care about,” he said, adding that he continues to believe a seat could become available.

Sources: The Race.