David Coulthard has raised concerns about Sergio Perez’s return to Formula 1, arguing that his team-mate at Cadillac, Valtteri Bottas, is “better prepared” after spending a year as reserve driver for Mercedes.
Both Bottas and Perez lost their full-time seats in the championship at the end of 2024. While Bottas returned to his old team at Mercedes as a reserve driver, Perez took a year out to focus on family life, claiming he would only come back to F1 if the right opportunity presented itself.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the two drivers they’ve got,” Coulthard said on the Up To Speed podcast. “It’s not the fastest driver pairing in Formula 1 as established by their career so far, but a safe pair of hands.
“They don’t need to be breaking cars with rookies. They need to be just getting up to speed with the operation of the team and the new regulations and things like that. So I actually think they’ve made a smart choice.”
The former driver added: “I think Bottas is better prepared because he’s coming with that Mercedes information. He’s been working with Mercedes all last year, simulator work and the likes. I’m a little bit concerned for Perez, who’s really enjoyed the siesta of a year off. I don’t doubt his commitment, but can you switch it back on when you’ve switched it off?”
Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing, Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images
In F1, one of the main targets for a driver is to beat their team-mate. During their respective stints at Mercedes and Red Bull, Bottas and Perez played the supporting driver role to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and four-time champion Max Verstappen. Now, the pair have the opportunity to be the lead driver, and Coulthard believes Bottas has a better chance of beating Perez.
“They’re old enough to be professional out of the car. They know they’ve got to work for the greater good of the team. But make no bones about it, their individual teams, managers, physios, and everybody that works around them… Your team-mate’s success is your failure. You’ve got to beat your team-mate.
“And I’ve got to think if we were laying it out now, I think Bottas has a better chance of beating Perez just by the fact he’s more recent.”
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