Sergio Perez believes Cadillac will “surprise” F1 grid as they prepare for 2026 debut
“Soon, we will be fighting for very good places. That is the goal of the team,” says Sergio Perez, who’s clearly excited about his next chapter in Formula 1.
The 35-year-old Mexican driver is making his return to F1 with the American team after leaving Red Bull at the end of the 2024 season.
Perez will team up with Valtteri Bottas as General Motors and Cadillac join as the 11th team on the grid for the 2026 season.
The American manufacturer isn’t just dipping their toes in the water – they’re planning to create their own power units from 2029 onwards.
With preparations ramping up for the Australian Grand Prix that will kick off the 2026 season, there’s a real buzz around this brand-new team.
“Well, the truth is that I am very happy because I have a great reference in Valtteri. In Formula 1, your teammate is a great reference for the work you are doing,” Perez explained at the EXMA 2025 Xtraordinary Humans México event.
He acknowledges the team faces a learning curve but remains optimistic.
“As a team, obviously, it will take time, but it brings people with a lot of experience.”
“It will take time for everything to get bigger, but I have confidence that Cadillac will surprise and that soon we will be fighting for very good places. That is the goal of the team.”
Perez already impressing after test
Perez didn’t waste any time getting back behind the wheel. In November, he completed a private test at Imola, driving an all-black Ferrari SF-23 to prepare for next season.
He reportedly knocked out an impressive 184 laps across two days.
The pace he showed surprised even himself.
“The truth is that I was surprised,” admitted the former Red Bull driver. “I was working a lot on the physical part to get to 100%. I had two days of tests, and I was very competitive. I felt very good physically.”
The test seems to have boosted his confidence significantly after his challenging final season with Red Bull.
“It helped me a lot with my confidence, because I drove a much more normal car than I had in the last few months with Red Bull. I was very competitive, I was was very good physically, so it gave me a lot of confidence for the start of the season.”
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