Ralf Schumacher names the driver who should inspire Sergio Perez as he prepares for Cadillac comeback

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Sergio Perez will make his return to the Formula 1 grid in 2026 with Cadillac after miserably leaving the sport with Red Bull.

Valtteri Bottas will partner with Perez at F1’s 11th team next season as the pair sign multi-year deals. With over 500 Grand Prix starts between them, Cadillac have two experienced heads who can guide them forward under the new technical regulations.

However, there are some slight doubts about the driver pairing, especially after their exit from F1 in 2024. Sauber ‘couldn’t stand’ Bottas anymore after he failed to score points last season, leading to his departure.

Perez’s stint at Red Bull was far more tumultuous as he desperately struggled to find performance in their car. The Mexican had complained about its issues, but as Max Verstappen was dominating championships in the same machine, they were ignored.

Ralf Schumacher says Sergio Perez should take inspiration from Alex Albon to ‘redeem himself’ in F1

The 35-year-old finished eighth in the standings in 2024, failing to score a podium after the Chinese GP. His reputation took a significant hit in F1 as Red Bull released Perez from his contract, but that did not stop Cadillac from pursuing a deal for 2026.

After seeing Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda suffer similar struggles at Red Bull in 2025, Cadillac have ‘full confidence’ in Perez that he can improve his form. For Ralf Schumacher, he has a chance to ‘redeem himself’ like another failed Red Bull prospect.

Speaking via the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, the German thinks Perez should take inspiration from Alex Albon. The Thai driver was afforded a chance with Red Bull midway through 2019 in place of Pierre Gasly, but also struggled next to Verstappen.

With just two podiums in 18 months, he was sacked by Red Bull in 2021 and found himself racing in DTM before returning to F1 with Williams. He is now the top midfield driver on the grid in 2025 and Schumacher believes Perez could now follow in his footsteps.

“He helped Verstappen decisively in 2021 by blocking Hamilton. But 2024 was very weak, he was only eighth in the mental hole. Now it gets interesting: Is he on par with Bottas or better? Then he can redeem himself, like Albon,” he said.

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

What happened to other Red Bull drivers who left and returned to F1?

Albon is the perfect example of a driver who has left Red Bull and made a great comeback with another outfit. Gasly has also had a redemption arc, producing some solid results for Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) and his current team Alpine.

However, others have not had the same success. Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull for Renault in 2019 before having a torrid spell at McLaren in 2021 and 2022, which he ultimately did not recover from.

The Aussie was dropped by Racing Bulls mid-season in 2024 after making his comeback to the sport in 2023. Perez will be determined not to suffer the same fate as he joins an exciting project on the grid.

Christian Danner thinks Perez will guarantee results alongside Bottas at Cadillac. They have all the experience they need, but whether their car will be competitive is another question.