David Coulthard admits he was wrong to doubt F1 driver who was ‘on the beach’ last year

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David Coulthard has admitted that he was ‘harsh’ on Sergio Perez before the 2026 season, as he now sees he is delivering results for Cadillac.

The Mexican joined F1’s 11th team alongside Valtteri Bottas, giving the newcomers an experienced driver line-up. Unlike his teammate, Perez had spent 2025 completely out of the sport, while the Finn served as Mercedes’ reserve driver.

It has been a tough start for Cadillac in 2026, with Perez complaining about the car’s parts after he suffered a dramatic suspension failure in Canada.

It has even been reported that Perez is looking for a way out of Cadillac as the team struggle at the back. But the 36-year-old is looking more comfortable in the car and is producing decent results for the American outfit.

David Coulthard admits he was ‘harsh’ on Sergio Perez coming into 2026

Perez had crossed the line in P10 at the Monaco Grand Prix, scoring what would have been Cadillac’s first F1 point. However, it was cruelly taken away from them as the Mexican was hit with a 10-second penalty for being outside his grid slot at the restart.

But it was an encouraging performance from Perez, and it left Coulthard eating his words. He admitted that he had been ‘harsh’ on the former Red Bull driver and praised him for his progress with Cadillac.

Talking about his result in Monaco, he said on the Up To Speed podcast: “Yeah, but come on. That is frustrating because you’ve got to take those opportunities.

Cadillac still hasn’t managed to score a point in 2026 😩 How long before they get their first top 10?

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“And I was maybe a bit harsh on Checo coming into the year, going, ‘He’s been away, he’s been on the beach. Valtteri’s been there at Mercedes, he’s been on the sim, he’s been at all the races. Checo is going to take a while to get up to speed.’

“No, he’s been on it and he’s been delivering. Is this the first and hopefully the last sign that the sort of race rust has meant that he’s made two of the same mistakes, essentially, which have cost them a point when they may never get that chance again this year.

“I hope they do. I think it’s super impressive what they’ve done, but that’s going to hurt.”

READ MORE: Cadillac driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

David Coulthard felt ‘guilty’ for initially blaming Lance Stroll for Monaco GP crash

Perez was not the only driver Coulthard changed his mind on in Monaco, as he also felt ‘guilty’ for criticising Lance Stroll.

The Canadian crashed at the final corner after being caught out by the tarmac breaking up. Perez had warned F1 about it all race as Charles Leclerc crashed in the same spot on the safety car restart.

From 21st on the grid, Fernando Alonso finished the Monaco GP in the points! What is it going to take to replicate that performance later this season?

Photo credit: 2026 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team

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However, Coulthard initially thought that Stroll was at fault for his crash, as he said via Channel 4: “I’ve got to admit, I feel a little bit guilty, because at first I thought, ‘What is Stroll doing?’ That was before I realised that it was all that braking of the track.

“Look, I’ve raced in Canada where the track broke up and a number of people got it wrong, it just narrows the line.

“And I think there’s an element of that with Charles as well, but clearly, he goes on to explain there was something else with the brakes. You got to try very hard to crash there! So, it’s clearly mitigating circumstances for both drivers.”