The Cadillac F1 team has reportedly signed Sergio Perez for the 2026 season. Formula.hu has confirmed that Cadillac F1 will announce the signing in the week ahead.
Newsweek Sports recently reported that Cadillac F1 had signed Valtteri Bottas. With the team’s driver lineup complete, the announcement of the signing will likely be made before the summer break ends next weekend.
The signing will mark the Mexican driver’s return to the premier class of motorsport after he parted ways with Red Bull following the 2024 season. Perez faced a challenging time at the Milton Keynes-based outfit last year, when the team struggled with balance issues on the RB20 F1 car.
Racing for F1’s eleventh team will be a new experience for Perez, as the team begins a new racing journey from scratch. The 35-year-old driver’s vast F1 experience, since his debut in 2011, will be extremely useful in uplifting Cadillac F1, the sport’s second American team.
Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing walks in the paddock during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 7, 2024 in Abu Dhabi,…
Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing walks in the paddock during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 7, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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Perez and his Cadillac F1 teammate, Bottas, who is currently Mercedes’ reserve driver, arrive from championship-winning teams. Bottas’ storied stint at Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton made headlines from 2017 to 2021, as he contributed significantly to the team’s eight Constructors’ Championships in the hybrid era.
At Red Bull, Perez proved to be an ideal wingman for four-time world champion Max Verstappen in the current ground effect era that began in 2022. The following year saw Red Bull secure the Constructors’ Championship by winning 21 out of the 22 races, with Perez finishing second in the Drivers’ Standings behind Verstappen.
Cadillac F1 becomes a Ferrari customer team next year, until General Motors fields its own engines in 2029. To adapt to the Scuderia’s power units, it was reported that Cadillac F1 will conduct a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) session in an old Ferrari F1 car with Bottas this year, and there is a near-certain probability that Perez will also be part of it.
Perez revealed in a recent interview that he was seeking an F1 driver role in a team where he could help elevate it to a championship-winning level. When asked if he would be an advantage for a new team like Cadillac F1, he said:
“Yes, I believe it 100 per cent. If you look at my years with Force India, and then later with Red Bull – pushing the team forward race by race, and eventually becoming a winning team – that’s exactly the kind of environment I’m looking for.
“A team with that mentality, that unity. For me, that’s more important than any trophy or achievement: finding a project where the driver feels truly motivated.”