Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas rejected Alpine's approach in favor of Cadillac: Reports

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas reportedly rejected Alpine to favor the Cadillac F1 team. According to the latest reports, the two aforementioned drivers signed up to race for the upcoming American team and snubbed the offers from the French outfit.

Perez and Bottas have been in the news lately as they are the driver pair to spearhead Cadillac next year. The team, backed by General Motors, will enter Formula 1 as the 11th team and will also become the second American team in the sport after Haas.

As both Perez and Bottas had offers from a new team, led by former Manor team principal Graeme Lowden, they rejected Alpine's proposal. According to a report by ESPN, the Enstone-based team made a late pitch to sign them up as a potential replacement for Franco Colapinto, but were rebuffed.

One reason behind this decision could be the underwhelming performance by Alpine of late. The French team is currently in P10 in the Constructors' Championship with 20 points after 14 races and three Sprints.

They are 15 points behind the team in P9, Haas. Furthermore, the signs of improvement and becoming a force to be reckoned with are regarded as negligible in the coming years. As a result, one should not be surprised that the two drivers who have more than 500 (combined) Grand Prix starts to their names rejected the idea.

Moreover, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez also have 16 race wins between them, and the experience of racing for teams like Mercedes, Red Bull, Sauber, Williams, McLaren, among many others. In a nutshell, the drivers chose the upcoming Cadillac project over Alpine.

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Cadillac boss let his feelings known after signing Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas

Cadillac team principal, Graeme Lowden, shared his thoughts as his team signed Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, two of the most experienced drivers available as free agents. Speaking about it, here's what the former Manor team principal said:

Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Valtteri Bottas of Finland driving the (77) Alfa Romeo F1 C43 Ferrari on track during practice ahead of the 2023 F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty

"Signing two very experienced racers like Bottas and Checo is a bold signal of intent," said Lowdon. "They’ve seen it all and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1. But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team.

"Their leadership, feedback, race-hardened instincts and of course their speed will be invaluable as we bring this team to life. A big thank you to the team at Mercedes for their co-operation and understanding.” (via F1.com)

Apart from his racing expertise, Cadillac can also bank on Sergio Perez's immense popularity in North and South America, a market that could be extremely important for Cadillac and General Motors. Bottas, on the other hand, also brings value to the team because of his flamboyant personality, which is loved by F1 fans around the world.