Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan suspects that Sergio Perez will come back \u201cfighting fit and fairly quick\u201d with Cadillac in F1 2026.<\/p>\n
The grid expands to 11 teams for 2026, as Cadillac arrive on the scene. Perez forms one half of a veteran line-up alongside Valtteri Bottas, and Monaghan is optimistic for what former Red Bull racer Perez will produce.<\/p>\n
Sergio Perez tipped to be \u2018fairly quick\u2019 at Cadillac F1<\/p>\n
Perez makes his return to the sport in 2026, having sat out 2025 following his early departure from Red Bull.<\/p>\n
Perez exited Red Bull and F1 after a collapse in form, but, with Perez having rested and reset ahead of this new project with Cadillac F1, Monaghan set out his expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe finished with us struggling a little bit to keep up with his teammate,\u201d he said of Perez.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps a year off, a bit of sunshine, reset the brain, and he\u2019ll come back \u2014 and he\u2019ll be fighting fit and fairly quick, I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another of Perez\u2019s former colleagues, Aston Martin sporting director Andy Stevenson, called the Mexican a \u201cfantastic talent\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a huge fan of Checo, and I\u2019d love to see him relaunch his career,\u201d said Stevenson.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a fantastic talent, he\u2019s a great race driver, and I think it would be great to see him back on the circuit again. So I\u2019m looking forward to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
More on F1 2026 from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n
F1 2026 cars: What name has each team given its chassis for the 2026 season?<\/a><\/p>\n Why Alpine\u2019s painful 2025 could pay off as F1 2026 reset approaches<\/a><\/p>\n With Perez and Bottas, Cadillac F1 has a driver line-up boasting 16 grand prix wins, 10 for Bottas and six for Perez.<\/p>\n However, the task of being F1\u2019s first new team since 2016, and debuting at the point when sweeping changes to the chassis and technical regulations come into effect, makes this quite the multi-layered challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult for us to say how Cadillac are going to manage it,\u201d said Stevenson. \u201cThey\u2019re obviously putting together a very professional team, and they have good finances behind them.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping that Cadillac don\u2019t go too well \u2014 but they\u2019re certainly someone we\u2019re not going to dismiss. They are a genuine challenge, and from what we\u2019ve seen so far, they\u2019ll be a very professional outfit.\u201d<\/p>\n Monaghan added: \u201cNew car, new power units, new tyres, new electronics, the sustainable fuels \u2014 and then you are trying to build a team into that, you kind of have an idea of what Cadillac have taken on.<\/p>\n \u201cSo best of luck to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Simone Resta, now Mercedes\u2019 deputy technical director, was previously a part of Haas, the most recent new team to join the F1 grid before Cadillac.<\/p>\n He believes that Cadillac can place themselves \u201cin the mix\u201d in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, let\u2019s not forget Valtteri \u2014 who is going to be back in the business for Cadillac,\u201d said Resta. \u201cIt is very exciting for him, and it\u2019s a good opportunity to be back after one year of stop.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Cadillac, they are investing a lot, hiring a lot of people, they are approaching the problem in a nice way, as far as we can see from outside.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of challenge, like we said, but also they count on a Ferrari power unit only. So they\u2019ve got one problem less, let\u2019s say, to look after.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they can be in the mix.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen in some of the small teams \u2014 like in my previous experience at Haas \u2014 that you can start a new cycle with a very small team and do nice things from the beginning. So, I wouldn\u2019t underestimate them.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a challenge, but everyone can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n