Sergio Pérez, Cadillac and a possible F1 return – what to know
MIAMI — Rumors surrounding Sergio Pérez’s alleged signing with the Cadillac team, which will debut in Formula 1 in 2026, have exploded ahead of the Miami Grand Prix weekend, but the truth is that Pérez has not signed with any team — at least not yet — and he will not be presented as a Cadillac driver in Miami this weekend.
Perez left Red Bull at the end of 2024 after a four years at the team, with Liam Lawson announced as his replacement.
Sources told ESPN Pérez has not been in Miami recently, does not plan to attend the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, and will not be present at the Cadillac team launch to be held on Saturday night, May 3 in the city.
Sources say that the speculation has been caused by social media posts based on the location of the private plane normally used by Pérez, which is rented out when he is not using it.
Cadillac is indeed an option for the Mexican driver, who competed in Formula 1 from 2011 to 2024 with Sauber, McLaren, Force India, Racing Point, and Red Bull in the last four seasons.
Cadillac’s interest in Perez as a possible signing for 2026 was confirmed to ESPN by team advisor Mario Andretti in an interview with the ESPN Racing podcast a few weeks ago.
But Cadillac F1 team principal Graeme Lowdon recently said he has a shortlist of seven or eight drivers to choose from for his 2026 lineup.
Pérez’s plan at this point, as he has stated to F1.com and in other interviews, is to wait six months before making a decision.
During that time, the Mexican has been enjoying time with his family, attending soccer games and music concerts, vacationing with his children at Disneyland, gone to the beach in Bermuda and Punta Mita, Nayarit, and, in general, enjoyed a life he had not known since moving to Europe to pursue his dream of becoming an F1 driver when he was 14 years old.
Pérez is also waiting to see what changes may occur on the F1 grid for 2026, because although most drivers are under contract, a “big fish” like Max Verstappen could shake up the market if he decides to leave Red Bull, where he is under contract until 2028.
A possible move by the four-time world champion would generate a chain reaction that could open up spaces beyond the two seats available at Cadillac.
Aston Martin is said to be a possible destination for Verstappen, and even Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has expressed concern that Verstappen could leave the Milton Keynes team if the RB21 car is not competitive enough to take on McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes.
Pérez is waiting in the wings, with Cadillac as a clear option, but his team has explored other possibilities with other teams, although they have not specified which ones or whether Julian Jakobi is still the agent who will handle this possible second stage of Pérez’s career in F1.
Also, last week Formula1.Hu, a Hungarian website, published an interview with Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley, who was Red Bull’s sporting director until 2024.
In it, Wheatley praised Pérez as a driver, his feedback to the engineers, and his ability to bounce back from adversity.
That interview does not mean that Sauber wants Checo Pérez, as it already has two drivers under contract, but it does put the Mexican’s name on the map, as did the exclusive interview he gave to F1.com, which was clearly a way for the Mexican to say, “I’m here and I want to come back.”
Pérez had said, before it was known that Red Bull would pay his contract and drop him from the seat for 2025, that he would not return to F1 unless it was to drive a car that could compete for points.
Cadillac, as a new team will have to pay its dues, adapt, and go through a development process, and expectations for 2026 will be set accordingly.
Source: espn.com