Cadillac board member and former Formula 1 champion Mario Andretti has broken his silence regarding the team’s 2026 driver line-up.

With the 2026 season just months away, all eyes are on the 11th team on the grid for the upcoming season: Cadillac.

The General Motors-backed project will begin life on the grid as a Ferrari customer team, with the understanding that it will start producing its own engines from 2028 onwards.

And while the team has already sorted out stuff on the chassis and powertrain side, it is yet to announce arguably the most important piece of the puzzle: its driver line-up.

The likes of Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, and Mick Schumacher had all been in the running, as per reports.

That said, earlier this week, it seems that the duo of Bottas and Perez have agreed a deal, at least in principle, to race for the American outfit.

Andretti breaks silence on Cadillac reports

Andretti has been keen to get back into the sport, this time in an owner role.

His bid to introduce the Andretti brand into the paddock failed, but he has clawed his way back onto the grid with Cadillac.

The 1978 F1 World Champion was signed up by Cadillac as an advisor and board member.

And despite all the signals pointing towards the duo of Perez and Bottas to kick off Cadillac’s venture, the 85-year-old urged fans to only believe what the team officially puts out.

While speaking to German publication BILD, Andretti kept his cards close to his chest as he did not divulge any expected date or time period for the team’s driver announcement.

“Just believe what we communicate,” he said.

Perez’s former boss, Otmar Szafnauer, is confident that Cadillac has rightly placed its faith in experience over youth as the team begins life at the pinnacle of single-seaters.

“If he [Perez] finds the right environment, with all of his experience at both smaller teams with less budget [than] Red Bull, he definitely has something to offer,” he told PlanetF1.

“Especially perhaps, a new team coming in that needs an experienced driver for the first couple of years, Checo would be a good addition.”

READ MORE – Why Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez is the sensible debut F1 driver line-up for Cadillac

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With the likelihood that Cadillac will now be signing two of Formula 1‘s most experienced out-of-work drivers, the team might just have placed itself in the best possible place for 2026.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez can boast 527 Grand Prix starts between them, along with 16 race wins, and such know-how of their way around an F1 car will be invaluable.

F1 is preparing to enter the unknown next year, with the FIA’s new set of regulations threatening to shake the sport up as much as it ever has been. That, in effect, gives Cadillac the advantage of a blank slate, plus the benefit of the most amount of aerodynamic testing as per F1’s rules.

But the nascent squad’s necessity to have some expertise behind the wheel will be all-important if it is to get itself a foothold on the F1 ladder.

Perhaps more so with Bottas, as he will perhaps possess more prior knowledge of the new technical regulations via his current role as Mercedes’ reserve driver.

With teams already enabling drivers to perform simulator runs on early incarnations of the ’26 cars, Bottas may well have placed his mulleted head beneath the Halo, so to speak.

The Finn has already indicated, since being out of full-time racing since losing his Sauber drive last year, that he is ready and willing to race again.

And it’s not just what skill he can bring to the table; it is also the fact that his humorous profile and willingness to make himself the butt of it will bring added marketing clout to the team.

For Perez, it will be a mission to prove himself still worthy of an F1 seat after his unceremonious dismissal from Red Bull at the end of last year.

With Liam Lawson losing the drive that he took from Perez after two races, and with Yuki Tsunoda continuing to struggle, he will surely never be more motivated to prove to the outside world that he was never the problem in that second seat alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

And being Mexican, Perez is naturally the closest the team has to an American driver. That sort of profile will also give the team the ability to potentially find a new wave of fans across the Americas, something that F1’s other American squad, Haas, has continuously failed to find.

The hurdle of securing an American driver would always prove to be tricky anyway, with the likes of IndyCar’s Colton Herta needing to find the necessary Super Licence points.

Jak Crawford was perhaps the only realistic option, but it seems that Cadillac appeared less interested in finding a compatriot to fill a seat and instead found the right men to be on the right platform towards success in the future. With Bottas and Perez, it is set to accomplish that.

Both drivers were given an equal chance to become World Champions in their prime: Bottas spent five seasons alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, while Perez was Verstappen’s team-mate at Red Bull between 2021 and 2024. The pair had title-winning equipment at their disposal during those periods; the problem was, they had generational drivers in the opposite garage.

Bottas harboured the pace over a single lap to rival Hamilton on numerous occasions, but he didn’t possess the all-round skillset to translate that into more victories to mount a sustained title bid throughout his spell with the Silver Arrows. Likewise, Perez never posed a serious internal threat to Verstappen, although it was his raw speed that ultimately undermined his endeavours.

But as a new entrant with a steep learning curve, Cadillac will not be calling on either driver to go out and win races against the very best competitors on the grid. Instead, the American marque will be reliant on the two individuals in the cockpit to assist with the team’s development and to capitalise on points-scoring opportunities that arise in a tightly contested midfield battle.

In that regard, Bottas and Perez are the ideal candidates. Bottas starred at Williams to earn his eventual switch to Mercedes as the successor to the then-reigning champion, Nico Rosberg, while he also did a sterling job when Sauber was a competitive entity upon his arrival in 2022.

Meanwhile, Perez was long renowned as a midfield specialist prior to his Red Bull stint, scoring three podiums in a Sauber in a breakout campaign in 2012 – landing him what transpired to be an ill-fated move to McLaren – and several more top three finishes with the Silverstone-based squad before it morphed into Aston Martin, including a coveted maiden win in Bahrain in 2020.

Haas was the last new team to be granted a place on the grid, and it immediately showed how valuable having a driver with extensive experience in the sport can be when starting out. Romain Grosjean produced a memorable shock when he drove his Haas VF-16 to sixth place on the American outfit’s debut in Australia and then went one better at the next race in Bahrain. Haas would be unable to maintain that level of competitiveness throughout the team’s inaugural campaign, but Grosjean’s exploits had been enough to help it finish eighth, above Renault.

Now, to expect Cadillac to replicate Haas’ debut heroics is not realistic. The team has been candid about the inevitable tribulations that it is poised to endure. However, in Bottas and Perez, Cadillac will have two drivers who are guaranteed to make that transition much more seamless.

READ MORE – The key storylines to follow for the rest of the 2025 F1 season

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Sergio Perez has received a glowing endorsement for one of the two seats at Cadillac’s Formula 1 team next year from former Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.

The Mexican has been out of a drive since being ousted by Red Bull at the end of last season, losing his drive in favour of Liam Lawson.

Perez has largely kept out of the spotlight since his removal from the Milton Keynes-based squad, but his name has continued to surface as the driver market hots up.

Cadillac has been cited as a potential destination for Perez, as the American marque prepares to make its F1 debut.

Cadillac boss Graeme Lowdon has indicated there is no rush for the team to seal a deal, but speculation has been rife that Valtteri Bottas is a strong contender.

But the Finn has also been heavily linked to a drive with Alpine next year, further boosting Perez’s chances, and Verstappen’s backing may further help his cause.

“Checo has always been very strong,” Verstappen said ahead of the British Grand Prix.

“Of course, he had some difficult moments with us, but as long as he has the motivation to race, I think he is a very good choice, especially for a new team.

“If you look at his performances at Force India and Racing Point, you will see that he always scored good points there.”

Sauber boss backs Perez to shine at Cadillac

It isn’t just Verstappen who is singing Perez’s praises, as former Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley also backed him to do well with Cadillac if a deal is done.

Now Sauber Team Principal, Wheatley had first-hand experience of Perez and spoke highly of his ability to perform.

“Firstly, I really enjoyed working with Checo. He’s a great personality, great attitude to life, full stop,” Wheatley said in an interview with F1’s official website.

“I have no doubt about his pace and his speed. It’s been natural since the beginning.

“He put in some tremendous drives at my former team and I don’t think it’s much of a barrier that he’s had a bit of time off between driving a Formula 1 car because when you know how to do that, you know how to do it.”

Wheatley also revealed that Perez was hands-on towards Wheatley in his own position with the team, ensuring he was performing to the best of his capabilities.

“I spent a lot of time with him early on because I wanted to get to know him and I wanted him to adjust to the team,” he continued.

“What I really liked was he pushed me in my sporting role – pushed me very, very hard.

“He made me question whether I was putting every bit of effort in, not that he was criticising but he would challenge you in a positive way and I enjoyed it.

“I think it helped motivate me to become better at my job and I’d like to think maybe it was reciprocal and the work that we did together made him better at his.”

He added: “He’s fully focused on performance and what do you want from a driver?”

READ MORE – Sergio Perez claims lack of protection cost him Red Bull F1 seat

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Max Verstappen has responded to former Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez’s comments about their less-than-ideal incidents during the 2022 Formula 1 season.

Verstappen and Perez shared the Milton Keynes-based squad’s garage for four years between 2021 and 2024.

And while the Dutchman had more than the measure of his team-mate during this time, in 2022, the Mexican racing driver did manage to rub Verstappen the wrong way.

Most notably, in qualifying in Monaco, Perez crashed during the top-10 shootout. This essentially confirmed his third-placed grid slot, ahead of Verstappen in fourth.

Perez went on to win that race – something that reportedly irked Verstappen enough for him to hold a grudge against Perez late into the season.

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix was when Verstappen exacted his ‘revenge’. When asked by the team to let Perez pass as he was fighting for second in the Driver’s championship, the Dutchman promptly refused to yield the position.

Referring to this, Perez recently said on a podcast in Mexico that Verstappen “is like that, he holds things in until he finally lets them out, usually on the track.”

Responding to these comments, Verstappen, however, refuted that there was any lingering tension between the duo.

“No, but I also think how you word [the question] is not how he meant it,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“I have a great relationship with Checo, we were great team-mates and so I have a lot of respect for him, he has a lot of respect for me, and that is it from my side.”

Verstappen expresses Perez desire amid interest from Cadillac

The six-time Grand Prix winner was let go by Red Bull at the end of last year after a series of disappointing results contributed to the team losing the Constructors’ title.

But having been condemned to a spell on the sidelines, it appears as though Perez has found a way to climb back into the paddock.

Cadillac are said to be in serious negotiations with Perez for a race seat in 2026, as the sport’s latest addition looks to bolster its driver line-up with race-winning experience.

Verstappen acknowledged this and expressed his eagerness to race alongside the 35-year-old once again.

“I am looking forward to hopefully seeing him again in the paddock soon, and I still need to give him a helmet of mine,” he said.

“I promised him that because he gave me one of his with a very nice message on it, and I promised him that hopefully, around Mexico, I can give him one of mine.

“So for me, whatever is written in the media, I know how Checo is and we have a great relationship.”

READ MORE — Pierre Gasly admits something ‘doesn’t seem right’ with Red Bull second seat woe 

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Sergio Perez has claimed that Red Bull failed to offer him sufficient protection during his difficult 2024 Formula 1 campaign, which ultimately led to his exit from the team.

The Mexican was fired by the Milton Keynes-based squad upon the conclusion of last season, after a difficult year which saw him finish a lowly eighth in the Drivers’ Championship, as team-mate Max Verstappen took his fourth straight championship.

Since then, the veteran has kept out of the media spotlight, amid speculation that he is under consideration to take one of the two drives for Cadillac in its debut next season.

In his absence, Red Bull has seen two different team-mates for Verstappen, with Liam Lawson lasting just two races, followed by Yuki Tsunoda, who has been struggling to contend with the tricky RB21 challenger.

Speaking on the Dede del Paddock podcast, Perez has alleged that a “reliable source” informed him that Red Bull has regretted the decision to remove him.

On the same podcast, Perez doubled down on the statement that Red Bull opted to remove him through a situation of its own making, and added that speculation was allowed to continue after signing a contract extension early in the season.

“In the end, that’s how the sport is. Decisions were made because there was too much pressure that they themselves ended up creating,” he said.

“I had a signed contract in Monaco, but from the next race onwards, everyone was talking about my future even though I already had a signed contract.”

Failure to ‘protect’ Perez contributed to eventual sacking

Perez continued that once the extension was signed, there was an opportunity to nip any further speculation in the bud.

But, with the rumour mill continuing to turn as results still proved to be hard for Perez to score, the decision eventually came to oust him in favour of Lawson once the season came to an end.

“It would have been easy for the team to protect me and say, ‘You know what? We have a driver signed for the next two years’,” he said.

“But that wasn’t the case. From then on, no one talked about anything other than Red Bull race after race.

“In the end, there was a lot of pressure on my side of the garage…it was putting a lot of pressure on the engineers, on everyone involved, and I think in the end that ended up costing us a lot.”

READ MORE – Helmut Marko provides update on Racing Bulls’ F1 future

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Sergio Perez has revealed that a “reliable source” at Red Bull has told him the team regrets dropping him amid the troubles his successors have endured in Formula 1.

Red Bull chose to dispense with Perez’s services once the previous campaign drew to a close amid a disastrous run that produced 21 points across the last 10 races.

That contributed to Red Bull plummeting to third place in the Constructors’ Championship as Perez trailed a huge 285 points behind then team-mate Max Verstappen.

Red Bull selected Liam Lawson as the Mexican’s replacement, but the Kiwi lasted two events in 2025 until the team demoted him back to satellite squad Racing Bulls.

Yuki Tsunoda exchanged places with Lawson, though he has also struggled to get to grips with the RB21 as he has logged seven points in his eight-race spell to date.

Perez, who spent four seasons as Verstappen’s team-mate, has claimed that he has been alerted that Red Bull has been made to rue the decision to cut ties with him.

When asked whether he believed he warranted an apology from Red Bull, Perez told Dede el Paddock: “No. I mean, at the end of the day, that’s how the sport is.

“They made certain decisions because of the immense pressure – pressure that they themselves helped create. 

“But I know, deep down, they regret it. And I know that from a very reliable source. 

“Still, what can you do? You move on. It’s tough. I have very good friends there, and people might think I take pleasure in what happened – but no.” 

Perez lauds Verstappen success

Verstappen continued to thrive despite Red Bull’s waning competitiveness in 2024 and managed to secure a fourth consecutive Drivers’ title with three races to spare.

“The truth is, Max deserves all the success he’s having,” Perez expressed

“He’s an incredible driver, and very few people understand the way he works – he’s exceptional.”

Perez highlights when Red Bull decline accelerated

Perez has contended that Red Bull’s regression accelerated when esteemed designer Adrian Newey communicated his desire to leave his long-standing role last May.

“We had a great team. In the end, it slowly fell apart, but we really did have something special, during one of the most competitive eras in F1,” he added. 

“We didn’t dominate an era like Mercedes [from 2014 to 2020], where they had a massive engine advantage.

“In our case, the performance gap was minimal, and we still built a powerhouse. When Adrian left – that’s when the problems really started.”

READ MORE – Mario Andretti indicates Sergio Perez among Cadillac F1 options

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Red Bull Racing boasts eight Formula 1 world championships and six drivers’ championships – all won within the last 15 years.

Yet, as four-time world champion Max Verstappen breaks records, the Milton Keynes-based outfit cannot nail down a consistent second driver. So, why is it that this tremendously successful group is unable to garner consistent performances from the second seat?

This deep dive by racing experts at FIRST.com evaluates the full breadth of the issue – from individual strife among Verstappen’s team-mates to the car itself.

Red Bull second drivers: who are they?

Since 2016, half of Max Verstappen’s team-mates have failed to maintain their seat beyond a second season. Here, we run through each driver’s struggles.

Daniel Ricciardo – Not number one anymore

Daniel Ricciardo served as Verstappen’s team-mate for 58 Grand Prix events. Despite earning a couple of pole positions, the Australian failed to outperform his European partner across virtually any other metric.

And, although Ricciardo was held in high regard by Red Bull higher-ups, the team’s failure to prioritise his needs over Verstappen’s led to a departure for pastures anew at the end of 2018’s Formula 1 campaign.

Pierre Gasly – five-month nightmare

A graduate of Red Bull’s junior programme, much was expected of Pierre Gasly when he followed in Verstappen’s footsteps by joining the main team from Toro Rosso.

However, after a nightmare 12-race stint that saw Verstappen outscore his French team-mate by 117 points, Red Bull decided to return Gasly to his former employers.

Alex Albon – too much too soon?

As Gasly exited Red Bull after just a dozen Grand Prix weekends, Alex Albon made his way to Milton Keynes only 12 races into his Formula 1 career.

In 26 races together, Verstappen outqualified Albon 25 times and, crucially, won on three occasions to Albon’s zero.

Red Bull ultimately deemed the Albon experiment a failure. Following the final race of 2020, he was told to vacate his post as Max Verstappen’s team-mate.

Sergio Perez – consistently inconsistent

Red Bull signed Perez as Albon’s replacement – an acquisition that signalled a departure from the team’s junior programme.

Nevertheless, in 90 races, Perez’s total points haul stood almost 1,000 behind that of Verstappen’s.

A disastrous 2024 culminated in the six-time Grand Prix winner being released by the previous year’s constructors’ champions.

Liam Lawson – immediate ousting

The start of 2025 heralded the first time that Verstappen would operate as the team’s eldest driver – but it was not long before Liam Lawson, who had been promoted ahead of the new campaign, suffered an instant demotion.

With two races under his belt and zero points on the board, the 23-year-old was replaced.

by Yuki Tsunoda.

Moving forward with Yuki Tsunoda

Current Red Bull number two Yuki Tsunoda is already under fire for Grand Prix blunders – and Red Bull’s notoriously high standards could see the Japanese driver forced out of the team’s second seat before long.

Tsunoda has expressed concerns over the car’s instability, saying “it’s incredible how he [Verstappen] is able to cope” with its demands.

Attesting to difficulties as Verstappen’s on-track ally in a recent interview, Alex Albon outlined that Red Bull’s development process places the car “on a knife edge”, whereas Racing Bulls tailor their car to inexperienced drivers.

Junior programme graduates familiar with the “stable” Racing Bulls product face a near-impossible task to immediately perform in what the Williams driver has dubbed the “trickiest” car.

When you account for the fact that young drivers are consistently asked to transition from a well-balanced Racing Bulls ride to the twitchy Red Bull, decoding this second-seat mystery becomes quite straightforward.

It is the team’s car philosophy, and not necessarily the drivers, that is predominantly at fault.

Replace the replacement or change the car?

It is no secret that every iteration of the Red Bull car is designed to fit Max Verstappen’s driving style.

Therefore, perhaps most telling are direct quotes from Verstappen, who has expressed that the RB21 is “nervous” and “unstable” – facets known to instill anxiety in rookie drivers.

Already, Isack Hadjar has been mooted as a likely replacement for Tsunoda…but the 20-year-old Racing Bulls driver wants no part in a swap deal just yet, stating that he is “not ready” for the big switch.

As of now, it is unclear who will end the campaign in the second car.

What is certain, however, is that the next in line must be prepared to battle not only Verstappen and Red Bull’s bias towards the Dutchman, but also a longstanding legacy of second-seat shortcomings.

The post Why do Red Bull’s second drivers always struggle? appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Sergio Perez‘s camp is reported to have held initial conversations with Alpine regarding a potential return to Formula 1 in 2026, alongside ongoing talks with Cadillac.

Perez has been resigned to time on the sidelines as his uninterrupted 14-season F1 spell came to an end when Red Bull axed him once the previous campaign ended.

The Mexican’s season unravelled as Red Bull’s competitiveness regressed at an alarming rate, culminating in him contributing 21 points across the closing 10 rounds.

But despite that providing a blemish on his record, the strong reputation that Perez established outside his Red Bull stint has seen him remain an enticing proposition.

Cadillac making push to win Perez race

That has seen him emerge as Cadillac’s leading option to spearhead the side’s driver line-up as the organisation prepares to expand the grid to 11 teams next season.

Perez’s entourage is thought to be engaged in discussions with the American marque, and reports have suggested that a possible three-year deal has been proposed.

Asked whether Perez is a name that is under consideration, Mario Andretti, an advisor to Cadillac’s project, told ESPN: “It’s an option. It could be an option. Of course.”

Perez, who acquired five victories with Red Bull between 2021 and 2024, revealed he would take up to six months to decide whether he wishes to pursue a comeback.

The ex-McLaren driver vowed that would also depend on discovering an environment that “believes in me” and “appreciates” the extensive experience he has attained.

As the newest team on the block, Cadillac has been honest that it is seeking someone who is established within the series – a criterion that, with 281 starts, Perez fits.

Meanwhile, the lucrative sponsorship portfolio that Perez brings would also be an added incentive, with long-time backer Carlos Slim present in the paddock in Miami.

Perez camp holds renewed Alpine talks

But according to The Race, Perez’s revised management arrangement, having reached out to the team late in 2024, made a renewed approach to Alpine last weekend.

The report goes on to state that the talks were held with Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore, who is touted to be “open” to a deal to bring Perez onboard for 2026.

However, Briatore, who is now heading the side again on an interim basis amid Oliver Oakes’ resignation, is prioritising the Enstone-based squad’s existing driver crop.

Briatore was the driving force behind Alpine’s choice to demote Jack Doohan six rounds into the ongoing campaign and promote Franco Colapinto on a five-race deal.

The Italian, 75, explained how the swap was orchestrated to ensure that Alpine goes into the impending regulation change in 2026 with the strongest pairing possible.

This correlates with the comments that Briatore made upon his return last summer, when he proclaimed that Alpine’s driver line-up would be insignificant this season.

“At the moment you need to put the team together, from the commercial side, the technical side, the management side,” he elucidated.

“The driver makes no difference now. The difference will be in 2026, 2027, 2028. This should be the difference for the driver.”

In the scenario where Colapinto doesn’t operate at the expected standard, Briatore could be tempted to become involved in more serious dealings with the Perez clan.

READ MORE – Alpine reveals driving force behind Jack Doohan-Franco Colapinto F1 driver change

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Zhou Guanyu is in a well-connected position to land a drive at the Cadillac Formula 1 team in 2026 after losing his drive with Sauber at the end of last year.

Cadillac is set to join the F1 grid next year as the first new team since Haas entered the sport in 2016.

With two extra sports open on next year’s grid, the door is ajar for several drivers to return to F1 after losing drivers last year, including Zhou, his former Sauber team-mate Valtteri Bottas and ex-Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.

But out of those three, Zhou has two trump cards to play in the form of Cadillac Team Principal Graeme Lowdon and power unit provider Ferrari, which will supply F1’s newest team until its own powertrain is ready in 2029.

Zhou is managed by Lowdon and currently serves as a Ferrari reserve driver, putting him in a strong position to land a Cadillac driver next year.

Still, that doesn’t mean Zhou is seeing his connections as a guarantee he will land a drive.

“I’m really happy, of course, that Graeme is the principal of Cadillac,” Zhou said (via Racing News 365).

“But that doesn’t mean I’m definitely linked with the team because, at the end of the day, the overall decision is taken by different people.

“I’m just doing my thing with Ferrari and trying to focus on the job here, and when there’s a chance, I’m always going to be fully committed to it.

“My ultimate goal is to be back on the grid but I think it’s nice to have a season, after a very difficult and strange season, to take a step down.

“A lot of drivers on the grid now are having very long contract extensions. Hopefully I can be one of them in the future.”

Ex-F1 race winner picks Zhou in proposed Cadillac lineup

Ex-F1 race winner Juan Pablo Montoya has outlined Zhou as one of two drivers that could land a seat at Cadillac next season.

The Colombian names Zhou alongside Perez, who things would be a “great fit” for F1’s newest team.

Perez would bring a wealth of experience to the Cadillac line-up, not to mention his passionate following from Mexico which comes in tandem with hefty commercial backing.

Regarding Zhou, Montoya believes the Chinese driver would bring important knowledge of the Ferrari power unit to aid Cadillac’s introduction to F1.

“I think Sergio Perez would be a great fit for Cadillac, and I bet you money the next guy might be Zhou Guanyu,” Montoya told Instant Casino.

“They would be a perfect fit. Guanyu is the Ferrari reserve. 

“So, he’ll be driving, developing and working. He’ll know everything about Ferrari, and they’re going with a Ferrari engine.

“So, if you look at it from that point of view, it would make sense.”

Cadillac will reportedly unveil its 2026 colours during this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, with Perez rumoured to be in attendance as the Mexican nears a move to the American outfit.

READ MORE – Mario Andretti indicates Sergio Perez among Cadillac F1 options

The post How connections could land Zhou Guanyu coveted Cadillac F1 drive appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Sergio Perez has claimed that his firing from Red Bull came “very quickly”, as well as revealing he is in talks with “a few” teams regarding a Formula 1 return in 2026.

The Mexican was ousted by the team upon the conclusion of the 2024 season, after a difficult season which saw him finish eighth in the Drivers’ standings, as team-mate Max Verstappen won his fourth straight title.

His future at Red Bull seemed precarious the longer the 2024 season progressed, with the RB20’s lack of competitiveness in comparison to its predecessors hindering him.

Verstappen was able to utilise his early-season buffer to ensure he would eventually win the championship, but Perez saw a number of disappointing results and performances which resulted in an eighth-place finish in the Drivers’ standings.

Despite the media reporting that his seat was under threat, Perez claimed that he felt secure in the team until the penultimate Grand Prix.

“Everything happened really late in the season,” he told formula1.com “I wasn’t really expecting it to happen. It only became clearer once we were in Qatar, and we started to discuss and negotiate my exit of the team. It all happened very quickly.”

Perez also said that his enforced absence from F1 has enabled him to “step back a bit” and enjoy time back in Mexico with his family.

Sergio Perez in talks with ‘a few’ teams for F1 comeback

The lateness of Perez’s sacking hindered any possibility of finding a drive for this year, although has taken the positivity from this, saying that his enforced sabbatical has enabled him to “step back a bit” and enjoy time back in Mexico with his family.

However, his name is already thought to be in the conversation of who will be racing for the new Cadillac team, with its advisor Mario Andretti saying he “could be an option.”

Perez revealed said some teams had been in contact about a comeback from the end of the 2024 season onwards.

“If I find a project that motivates me fully to come back, where the team believe in me and where they appreciate my career, my experience and everything I can bring to a team, it would be very attractive to consider it,” he said.

“That’s why I’ve given myself at least six months to get all my options on the table and make a decision on what I do next with my career.

“There are a few very interesting projects out there. I’ve been approached by a few teams since Abu Dhabi. Right now, the season has started so a few things will open up in the coming months.”

Perez also revealed he is talking to the teams, but is not intending to rush any decision regarding his how or where his future lay.

“We are talking to a few parties out there. Once I know all my options, I will make a decision. What is very clear to me is that I’m only coming back if the project makes sense, and it’s something I can enjoy.

“I’ve spent a long time in F1 already, I’ve done most of it. Once you step back, you realise how much you give up in life to be in the sport. So, to be in F1 fully committed, I need the motivation.”

Perez, who has also been linked with a possible switch to Formula E, said he was happy to have his name considered, acknowledging drivers can be easily forgotten once they are out of the sport.

“It’s good to be in this position knowing that people are keen on you as a drive. People have short memories in F1.

“Within a couple of races, they forget what you have done. People realise that my position was not the easiest one in F1 – and I’ve done extremely well overall.”

READ MORE – Aston Martin tipped to entice Max Verstappen with ‘offer he can’t refuse’

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