Amid the speculation of who Cadillac would pick for their first driver lineup in F1, the American team decided to place Sergio Perez in one of their cars. Perez had a difficult final season with Red Bull, finishing 285 points behind former teammate Max Verstappen. Despite signing a new contract with the team, he was dropped with no seat prospects for the 2025 season.
Cadillac has admitted that there were doubts over whether signing Perez after a difficult season was a good idea. However, the newcomers decided that his experience in F1 was worth signing him for after having meetings with the Mexican.
Sergio Perez convinced Cadillac to sign him
After a disappointing 2024 season, Perez was left without a drive for the 2025 season. However, the six-time race winner will make his F1 comeback next year with Cadillac. Cadillac F1 Team and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss admitted that questions needed to be asked about Perez’s desire to return to the sport.
However, Perez’s answer convinced Cadillac that he was their man. According to Chris Medland, Perez said: “Clearly none of the other (Red Bull) drivers have fared well in that second seat.”
Cadillac F1 Team and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss admits there were questions for Perez given how his Red Bull stint ended, but that Checo answered them emphatically in meetings, adding:
“Clearly none of the other (Red Bull) drivers have fared well in that second seat” #F1
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) August 26, 2025
Towriss summarised the meeting, saying: “It was important for us to kind of know where Sergio’s at in terms of his desire to be back in Formula 1, and also his belief in our project in leading the Cadillac Formula 1 Team. And we couldn’t have been more pleased with his response.
“In our meetings with him, he outperformed. If you would say we had questions, we had scepticism around some of these things. And he answered all of our questions, passed our tests with flying colours. And so we were pleased to put him forward.”
Perez will now return to the grid and hopes to right the wrongs of his final season with Red Bull. He will be hoping to help develop Cadillac’s car, like he has done with many teams he raced for before joining Red Bull. Perez could be a shrewd signing for the new team on the grid.
Cadillac go for experience over youth
Joining Sergio Perez at Cadillac for next season will be another veteran of F1, Valtteri Bottas. Bottas has a good pedigree in the sport, having won ten races while driving for Mercedes.
Although both Perez and Bottas have raced at the front of the field, they also have the experience of driving in the midfield and even the back of the grid. It is unlikely that Cadillac will hit the ground running and be challenging for race wins. However, winning the midfield battle could be vital to earn more prize money.
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Both drivers have experience in tight midfield battles. Perez drove for Force India/Racing Point for many years, often finishing in the top half of the standings. Bottas made his debut for Williams, recording nine podiums in three years for the team. They have a strong driver lineup to help them develop their cars and push the team forward over the next few seasons.
Is this the lineup you wanted to see at Cadillac? Let us know who you would have put in the car.
