Formula 1 veteran Sergio Perez says his feedback is “much more appreciated” at the Cadillac team than it was at Red Bull.
Perez got his big break in a top team at Red Bull from 2021 to 2024, having previously spent 10 years in midfield machinery at Sauber, McLaren and Force India/Racing Point.
The Mexican collected three pole positions and 29 podiums including five victories over those four years, and was closer to team-mate Max Verstappen than anyone has been since Daniel Ricciardo a decade ago. Still, he struggled to match the Dutchman and lost his seat after his performance collapsed throughout the 2024 campaign in an extremely tricky RB20 car.
Perez then spent 2025 on the sidelines before he joined F1’s newest team, Cadillac, for 2026 – alongside another seasoned racer, Valtteri Bottas.
“Definitely the last six months of my journey with Red Bull were tough in all areas. I really felt like I needed a break,” the Mexican confessed.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“I could see things that for the outside were not visible. They became more visible after I left, of course. I had a great time also with Red Bull.
“For me, it’s just getting back and really enjoying my time with Cadillac. I’m really looking forward to this journey together. I think there are a lot of promises all around. It’s a long project, a long shot. But I believe that this can be something very successful, and being part of something new gives me that motivation.”
Asked by Motorsport if he already felt that his feedback was differently appreciated and valued than it was at Red Bull alongside Verstappen, the 36-year-old replied: “Definitely, I can see the way that the car is being developed and the way we’re pushing forwards in the same direction, it obviously helps. And I feel that, definitely, obviously, my feedback is much more appreciated.”
Cadillac: Perez made our need for experience “come alive”
Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast which was released on Wednesday and recorded over the Australian Grand Prix weekend, Cadillac F1 team CEO Dan Towriss emphasised how important experience was when choosing the nascent outfit’s drivers.
“That makes a lot of sense,” Towriss said. “It’s very logical. Checo made that come alive in the interview, if you said, ‘What does experience mean?’. So to hear him talk about some of the things that he thinks he would experience as part of the team, doing this for the first time, and what he expected and what he would do and how he would handle this situation – he just made that come alive.
Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
“And you really got to start to see we really do need someone experienced who can handle the ups and downs with being a first-year team, knows what the car should feel like, and provides that direction from a development standpoint.
“And I will say, it was set against the backdrop of the [2025] British Grand Prix, which you may remember was raining and messy – the experienced drivers rose to the top of that as well – so in the backdrop of experience really being key.”
Asked if Perez’ experience at small teams punching above their weight, like Force India, was appealing too, Towriss played it down: “You know, not so much. I think it’s really just the expertise, the actual track record and the knowledge that he would bring to the team.
“And look, I would say the same for Valtteri as well – not to pair one experience against the other. I think in both drivers, you’ve got that. And it’s a little bit different in terms of what they bring.
Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing, Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images
“And they’ve delivered so far. Through the testing in Barcelona, through the testing in Bahrain, they needed to be patient at times as working through first year kinks in the team. And in some cases, it was just because these new cars are very complicated and there’s a lot to work through there.
“And I think their ability to be patient and let it come to them, provide direction and pull things together has just been instrumental through those weeks.”
Still, coming back to the world championship after a year away from racing is never easy, but that was no concern for Towriss, who likely was speaking ahead of the actual track action at Albert Park.
“I think they have enough experience to pick up where [they] left off. Obviously, a lot is changing this year. And again, being able to adapt to that, I think their experience is just going to be key,” he concluded.
Cadillac’s F1 debut arguably was tricky in Melbourne, with the MAC-26s the slowest cars in qualifying. Bottas retired early due to a fuel system problem after encountering a steering wheel issue, while Perez raced to 16th; he was the last classified driver, three laps down.
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