After Colton Herta, Cadillac F1 signs IndyCar legend, grandson of 2-time F1 champion, and Le Mans winner as sim drivers

Cadillac F1, which will enter F1 in 2026, has signed IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud. The French driver will be one of three simulator drivers alongside Pietro Fittipaldi, the grandson of retired two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, and Le Mans winner Charlie Eastwood. This announcement comes just under a month after the American team signed IndyCar star Colton Herta.

Pagenaud is an IndyCar legend, having won the championship in 2016 and the series' biggest race, the Indy 500, in 2019, both with Team Penske. He retired from sport in 2023 after a horrendous crash during a practice session at the Mid-Ohio circuit.

On Wednesday, Cadillac F1 announced its three simulator drivers. Pagenaud expressed his excitement about the opportunity, saying (via Autohebdo):

"Optimizing the technical aspect of a car and managing relationships with people at the factory has been my passion since I started racingI really enjoy talking with the engineers, developing the simulator, and making it as realistic as possible. This work makes me feel useful and like I'm contributing my expertise, something that's been lacking since my accident. My role and goal are to make the simulator as close to reality as possible and lay the foundations for the car. I want to help Cadillac project itself as accurately as possible toward reality."

Pietro Fittipaldi, the second of three sim drivers, is a former IndyCar driver who raced part-time in the American open-wheel series with Dale Coyne Racing in 2018 and 2021, and recorded his first and only full-time season with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2024. The Brazilian driver was a part of the Haas F1 team between 2019 and 2022 as a test/reserve driver. He was the driver who replaced Romain Grosjean for the last two F1 races of 2020 after the Frenchman's fireball crash at the Bahrain GP that year.

In the official announcement on Wednesday, Fittipaldi revealed that he had been working on Cadillac F1's 2026 car this year and was overjoyed to return to F1.

"I’m very proud to finally share that I’ve joined the Cadillac F1 Team!" Fittipaldi wrote in an Instagram post. "We have been working together on the development of the team’s 2026 F1 car. As a sim driver, together with my teammates, we have been doing extensive simulator testing and full race weekend simulations to prepare for next season. It’s a privilege to contribute my experience to a project of this scale and to be part of a brand as iconic as Cadillac."

Fittipaldi and Colton Herta were competitors in the 2024 IndyCar season, albeit rarely found themselves battling each other. They were on opposite ends of the performance spectrum. Herta finished runner-up in the championship standings with the front-running Andretti Global team, while Fittipaldi finished in 19th place with the struggling Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

In 2025, while Herta continued with Andretti in IndyCar, Pietro Fittipaldi left to compete in the IMSA SportsCar championship with Pratt Miller Motorsports.

Cadillac F1 signs 2024 Le Mans winner as a simulator driver alongside Pietro Fittipaldi

Besides Simon Pagenaud and Pietro Fittipaldi, Cadillac F1 also signed Charlie Eastwood as a simulator driver. Driving for TF Sport in the 2020 World Endurance Championship, the Irish driver won the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGTE Am class.

Eastwood announced his move to F1's newest team via an X post in which he wrote:

"I am honored to announce that I am joining @Cadillac_F1 as a Simulator Driver. I will be able to contribute to their F1 entry with my experience in sim & development work. Grateful to Cadillac for the trust at such an important time."

Cadillac F1 has signed F1 veterans Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as its two full-time drivers, Colton Herta as a test driver, and Simon Pagenuad, Pietro Fittipaldi, and Charlie Eastwood as its simulator drivers. The General Motors-backed team seems to have all but one driving position filled - reserve driver.

About the author

Yash is a Motorsports journalist at Sportskeeda with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from one of India's top B-schools. With over 1.5 years of experience covering Formula 1 and a short stint covering the WNBA, he brings passionate authenticity to his writing.

Yash's first brush with the motorsport world was accidental. While flipping TV channels, he came across an episode of F1TV's 'Inside Tracks'. That was enough to engross him and make him dive head-first into devotedly following the sport.

Surprisingly, he favors no particular driver or team. This helps him bring complete objectivity to his reporting, which begins with meticulous research from trusted sources across the internet.

When motorsport isn't on Yash's mind, he's either at the gym, out for a walk, or indulging in creative writing.

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Edited by Yash Kotak