Sergio Perez still has plenty to offer Formula 1 in the right environment, believes his former team boss Otmar Szafnauer.<\/p>\n
Perez is understood to be returning to Formula 1 in 2026, having reached an agreement with Cadillac to join Graeme Lowdon\u2019s team for its first year in the sport.<\/p>\n
Otmar Szafnauer: Sergio Perez \u2018a good addition\u2019 for a new team<\/p>\n
Multiple sources have indicated to PlanetF1.com that the Mexican driver is set to join Cadillac, having agreed terms with the American squad<\/a>, but is yet to formally sign a contract.<\/p>\n It\u2019s expected that his confirmation at Cadillac will come during the week of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.<\/p>\n Perez is likely to be paired with fellow F1 veteran Valtteri Bottas, with the pair boasting over 500 grands prix experience as a duo and offering Cadillac<\/a> a highly experienced partnership with a proven track record.<\/p>\n Perez, who finished as runner-up in the Drivers\u2019 Championship in 2023, has been without a drive since Red Bull opted to part ways with him at the end of last year.<\/p>\n It had been a very difficult season for Perez, whose form took a nosedive relative to World Champion team-mate Max Verstappen, with Perez\u2019s inability to consistently score points directly contributing to Red Bull\u2019s defeat in the Constructors\u2019 Championship.<\/p>\n But Perez has been greatly vindicated this year as the ongoing struggles of his replacements \u2014 first Liam Lawson and then the experienced Yuki Tsunoda \u2014 have shown that Red Bull\u2019s issues with performance are not primarily down to the drivers.<\/p>\n Perez\u2019s experience in the midfield, as well as having recent first-hand knowledge of a World Championship-winning team make him an ideal signing for Cadillac, where \u2013 if it\u2019s confirmed \u2013 he will reunite with the small-team ethos in which he thrived during the 2010s.<\/p>\n Perez spent seven years driving for Force India\/Racing Point under Otmar Szafnauer, the team\u2019s chief operations officer, and, according to the American businessman, Cadillac could do far worse than sign Perez.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he finds the right environment, with all of his experience at both smaller teams with less budget and Red Bull, he\u2019s got good feedback, so he definitely has something to offer,\u201d Szafnauer said in an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially perhaps, a new team coming in that needs an experienced driver for the first couple of years, Checo [Perez] would be a good addition.\u201d<\/p>\n During his time working with Szafnauer, Perez was no stranger to the podium and never finished outside the top 10 in the Drivers\u2019 Championship.<\/p>\n Indeed, it was Perez who directly contributed to the team being saved when, in dire financial straits under former team owner Vijay Mallya, Perez initiated proceedings to force the team into the administration process that resulted in Lawrence Stroll\u2019s Racing Point consortium purchasing the squad.<\/p>\n More on Cadillac F1:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0Cadillac F1: Everything you need to know about the new 11th team<\/a><\/p>\n