Sergio Pérez Returns to Formula 1 with Cadillac in 2026
Mexican driver Sergio Pérez, after being announced as one of Cadillac’s two drivers for the 2026 Formula 1 season, expressed that he couldn’t allow his career in the top category to end with his departure from Red Bull last year. Pérez, 35, will be part of the Cadillac lineup alongside Valtteri Bottas in his debut F1 season next year. After a series of disappointing results in 2024, Pérez was released from Red Bull at the end of the season, despite having a two-year contract with the team. His performance has been put into perspective by the difficulties of the two drivers who replaced him this year, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. Pérez commented that it was important for him not to end his career on a low note.
Pérez scored only 152 points compared to his teammate Max Verstappen’s 437 in 2024, but this year the second Red Bull car has scored only seven points in the first 14 races. When asked if he felt that Lawson and Tsunoda’s difficulties meant he had nothing to prove in his return, the Mexican added: “I feel like I have nothing to prove, you know, not just because of the current drivers or the next drivers who were in my seat, but even before that, you know, now everyone forgets about that.” Cadillac joins the grid as the eleventh F1 team next year and has little time to prepare for its debut race in Australia in March. The team director, Graeme Lowdon, has minimized expectations before the team’s entry onto the grid, and Pérez said he had no illusions about Cadillac’s potential in its first season. “It’s important to reset my past goals,” added the six-time race winner. “But also, I’m here to progress with the team.” “I am sure we are going to start in a very difficult position, but for me, it’s not where we start, it’s how quickly we manage to progress. That’s the main thing.” Pérez concluded: “I know that racing drivers can get desperate. It’s very easy to say, but once you’re on the grid for 24 races and you’re struggling at the back, desperation can set in. But for me, the main thing I’m here for is to progress together with the team and enjoy the journey, because at this point in my career, let’s say one more trophy, one less, is irrelevant. I want to be able to enjoy the journey, but also give my best every weekend. And if I can do that for 24 weekends, then I’ll be very happy.”I couldn’t afford to leave F1 the way I left the sport [last year], you know? And that’s why I’m coming back with this new project. And yes, I hope it will be very successful.
Sergio Pérez
