Sergio Perez ally shares what’s ‘excited him most’ about making his Formula 1 comeback with Cadillac

Follow us on Google Discover

Sergio Perez is hard at work with Cadillac as he prepares to make his return to Formula 1 in the 2026 season.

The Mexican is looking to redeem himself after his exit from Red Bull at the end of 2024. He comes to Cadillac with 14 seasons of experience in F1 with the likes of Sauber, McLaren, Force India (later Racing Point) and the Milton Keynes outfit.

Perez is already using his time at Red Bull to help Cadillac by providing strong feedback to his engineers. The team will need the right guidance to get through their first season in F1, with it being an entirely new project.

That is precisely why General Motors went with two experienced heads for their driver line-up in 2026, with Perez joining Valtteri Bottas at Cadillac. The former was linked with the team not long after he left Red Bull, but other teams were also keeping tabs.

Perez was linked with Alpine, as Flavio Briatore eyed him as an option to replace Franco Colapinto in 2026. Surprisingly, Perez emerged as a candidate for Williams, but in the end, he chose Cadillac.

Cadillac’s new project and reputation as a brand ‘excited’ Sergio Perez the most ahead of F1 return

Discussing the options the 35-year-old had for 2026, Carlos Slim Domit, son of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and Sergio Perez’s main sponsor, explained that he wanted a ‘new project that excites me’.

Cadillac ticked the boxes for Perez, with it being a new team that he can develop from the ground up: “Look, I think he mentioned it from the beginning, didn’t he? He said: ‘I want to come back with a new project that excites me, that challenges me,” said Slim Domit via Formula de 2 and Claro Sports.

“I’ll tell you, building a team from scratch is really difficult, especially in such a big category. I think Cadillac is the team that has started from scratch, since I can remember, and so as a challenge it becomes a very interesting challenge.

“In addition, you bring a very strong brand like Cadillac. It’s a brand that is also very well known in the American and Latin American markets, and this combination allows us to build the team together.

“I think that’s what excited him the most, and as I said, it’s a challenge for him and for the conclusion of his career, because I don’t know how many more years he wants to be in the category, so it becomes a really cool challenge to be able to finish consolidating himself as a driver.”

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

How Sergio Perez helped secure Valtteri Bottas a seat with Cadillac

Perez was a top target for Cadillac as they assessed their options for 2026 earlier in the year. Ultimately, they went for Bottas to partner with the Mexican, and he had a say in that decision.

Perez told Cadillac to sign an experienced driver over a younger talent, as the team needed to have as much experience as possible ahead of their debut season.

Subsequently, Perez cost Felipe Drugovich a seat with the team due to the way he spoke in meetings. The Brazilian was looking to land his first drive in F1 since his F2 title win in 2022, but he lost out.

Perez will have an advantage over Bottas at Cadillac, as he is not tied to an F1 team in 2025. The Finn is serving as Mercedes’ test and reserve driver until the end of the season.