After a challenging finish to his tenure with Red Bull Racing, veteran Formula 1 driver Sergio Pérez is embracing a new chapter with Cadillac‘s forthcoming entry into the sport. Pérez recently took to the track at Imola for initial testing with the team, marking a key milestone in Cadillac’s preparations for its 2026 debut. The Mexican driver, who has 6 Grand Prix wins across his 14-year F1 career, reflects on lessons learned and a renewed focus as he prepares to contribute to the American manufacturer’s aspiring venture.
Sergio Pérez is back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, nearly a year after his departure from Red Bull. The Mexican driver recently took to the track at Imola, piloting a SF-23 as part of Cadillac’s first F1 test run.
Pérez was recruited by the American team, set to enter the pinnacle of motorsport in the coming months, alongside Valtteri Bottas. His final months with Red Bull proved challenging, struggling to master the RB20 while Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive World Championship title.
Despite an abrupt end to his contract, Sergio Pérez admitted that time away from Formula 1 proved beneficial.
“I didn’t feel it at the time [but I needed that break],” he confessed in an interview on the official Formula 1 website. “When you are in F1, you’re carried away by always thinking about your next year, your next race, your next contract. It’s like you’re in automatic mode. But once you’re forced out of it, like I was, you realize a lot of things and you see F1 differently.”
I realized that I missed F1 because I kept following it. I saw what was happening, I spoke to friends who were in the paddock, and I realized that I probably missed it more than I thought.
Having resumed his duties with Cadillac several weeks ago, has this return in a different context rekindled his love for Formula 1? “Yes, definitely,” Pérez stated. “You have to remember that my last six months at Red Bull were very difficult for me, in all areas.”
“I started to lose a bit of motivation for the discipline, and I can’t let that happen, because it’s a sport that has given me everything. The day I leave this sport, I want to do it with a big smile and a lot of respect, because it has given me everything. Initially, the first two months [after being let go] were great. I realized I missed F1 because I continued to follow it.”
“I kept getting up for the races. I saw what was happening, I spoke to friends who were in the paddock, and I realized that I probably missed it more than I thought. And then when the discussions started with Cadillac and we saw this passion for racing, then yes, I felt like I still had something to give.”
Sergio Pérez has 6 Grand Prix wins and 39 podium finishes in his 14-year F1 career.
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“It feels good,” Pérez admitted, having made his debut in the sport in 2011 with stints at Sauber, McLaren, Force India/Racing Point and Red Bull. “Now looking back, it was like a dream scenario: being able to take a year off and then come back refreshed.”
“After 15 years, or almost, in Formula 1, getting this refresh and finding all the energy for what I see as my last stint in F1… I have all the energy now to get back to it, to work with the team, to push it in all areas, on the simulator. It’s a new team so we’re starting from scratch.”
For me, the biggest lesson was to enjoy F1, because we are so competitive and so focused on giving our maximum that we forget to enjoy it.
The break allowed the 35-year-old to gain perspective on his career. Formula 1 is a demanding and stressful discipline, and navigating it isn’t always easy, with drivers constantly under immense pressure.
Pérez has set a goal for his return to F1, one he feels he hasn’t achieved in previous years: to live more in the present moment and fully enjoy this unique profession.
“When you’re in this bubble of Formula 1 – because ultimately, Formula 1 is a bubble – as a driver, you worry about a lot of factors,” he explained. “You’re not always satisfied because you didn’t take that little bit of extra performance that was there, etc., and you forget that the essential thing is to enjoy it, because ultimately, we are privileged to be able to do what we love.”
“For me, the biggest lesson was to enjoy F1, because we are so competitive and so focused on giving our maximum that we forget to enjoy it.”
A Final Dance with a Newcomer
Sergio Pérez.
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Sergio Pérez is now preparing for his return to F1, and Cadillac’s entry into the sport. His experience is a major asset for the American team, and was a key factor in his recruitment.
“It’s been good going back and forth with the team,” Pérez explained. “I’ve pushed on certain areas, given direction. It’s great to have a team where you feel you can have an influence and ask for certain things.”
Cadillac isn’t entering Formula 1 to make up the numbers, and the scale of the project shows their ambition to be more than a midfield team. However, the first months – or even seasons – of the team are likely to be challenging, and the road to the top of the grid will be long. Sergio Pérez is well aware of this and remains realistic about the expected results when he returns to the cockpit full-time in March.
“For me, where we start doesn’t matter much,” he confessed. “What’s more important is how quickly we’ll be able to progress. I want to push the team from day one. I think we’ll be able to surprise a lot of people. That’s a goal for us: to have a strong impact in Formula 1 from day one.”
An additional challenge for Pérez is the knowledge that this is his final dance in Formula 1, and he wants to finish it on a high note: “I see this as my big final project in F1 and I want to make sure I make a successful return.”
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