Sergio Perez said that his move to Cadillac for the 2026 season was driven by a desire to demonstrate that he still ranks among Formula One’s elite, after a mentally exhausting final stretch with Red Bull.
Following a year out to recover from what he called a “toxic” last half‑year at the Milton Keynes team, the Mexican driver returned to the grid with the all‑new American outfit.
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Perez explained: “When the project with Cadillac came, I thought, ‘This is a massive project; this is a massive brand.’ And when I met Dan Towriss I knew this guy is very competitive, and he will do whatever it takes to take it to a very good level.”
“It can be my project as well. I can be part of it and I can show myself that I’m one of the best and I want to do that because I always believe that I’m one of the best on the grid.”
“But obviously, the period at Red Bull takes that confidence from you when you are not delivering and your teammate is winning and so on. And I always knew what the issues were, but it takes confidenceر away from you. That’s why I wanted to come back.”
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Now helping to build the Cadillac operation from the ground up, Perez acknowledges the challenges ahead. Despite the squad still finding its footing, he remains confident about its long‑term trajectory.
“Of course, it’s very early days,” he said. “We are only on our Phill ew races grateful creating culture thatcreasing. But I can see that the owners will not stop until they do that.”
“You’re talking about General Motors and TWG. There are two great forces that are not going to stop until they get there.”
