Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix went badly for the Cadillac Formula 1 team, whose headquarters is still under construction in Fishers.

Valtteri Bottas crashed out on Lap 44 when the front-left suspension on his car failed under braking for Turn 1, at the end of the long front straight at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The Cadillac hit the barriers hard. Race officials sent out the safety car and then stopped the race with a red flag so crews could repair the damaged barriers.

Bottas, 37, sat in the cockpit for several minutes while medical staff talked with him, then climbed out on his own. Cadillac said he was responsive on the team radio and went to the circuit medical center as a precaution. The team later said he had been released and was OK, though he skipped post-race media duties.

Teammate Sergio Perez, racing before his home crowd, finished 17th, about 31 seconds behind the winner. Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the race. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli finished third, and at 20 that clinched the world championship and made him the youngest champion in F1 history. Four races remain in the season. Cadillac is still looking for its first championship point.

Herta moves closer to eligibility

For Colton Herta, the weekend may have been more important on Friday than on Sunday.

Cadillac’s test driver ran 24 laps, roughly 100 kilometers, in Bottas’ car during the first practice session. Going into the weekend, the team said Herta had 39 of the 40 super license points a driver needs to race in F1. The Mexico City run is expected to give him the last point, but the FIA still has to sign off.

Herta, 26, left IndyCar for Formula 2 this year to chase a Cadillac race seat. He has called the F2 season disappointing.

Last week, Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss said Perez and Bottas are both under contract, but the team is reviewing its lineup. Towriss said Bottas has been off the race pace in a few races. Asked whether Herta could race for Cadillac in 2027, he said, “Yeah, there’s always a chance.” He said the team expects to say more about drivers in the next few weeks.

Some reports say Cadillac would still rather keep Bottas for stability. Others say General Motors likes the idea of promoting Herta, the team’s most likely American candidate. Former Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda is also reported to be in the mix.

The Fishers connection

Back home, work continues on the team’s $200 million, 400,000-square-foot headquarters near Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport, between East 96th and East 106th streets west of Hague Road. When it’s finished, it will be the corporate home and manufacturing center for the Cadillac F1 team and TWG Motorsports. The team has said it plans to employ about 300 people there.