After seeing the exit doors at Red Bull, at the end of last season, Sergio Perez was strongly linked with Cadillac for a return to the paddock in 2026. However, with many other drivers such as Valtteri Bottas in the mix, the #11 driver was seen just as another option for the General Motors-backed F1 program.
The Guadalajara-born driver was axed by the Milton Keynes-based team after a squalid season that saw him finish eighth in the drivers’ standings—his worst outing in a Red Bull to date. Yet, his undeniable marketability and wealth of experience in F1 cannot be denied as being a tantalizing prospect for a new team.
In fact, according to former Red Bull sporting director, Johnathon Wheatley, Perez possesses many virtues that would appeal to Cadillac. In particular, he highlighted the Mexican racing ace’s mental tenacity and ability to give precise feedback to the engineers.
“I was always impressed by how he [Perez] bounced back stronger after each setback. He’s incredibly good at rebuilding, and I also think he’s very good with the team, who responded well to him,” he explained. Now, it would appear that Cadillac have taken their interest in the #11 driver seriously with F1 TV presenter, Lawrence Barretto confirming that Perez is the front-runner to land that seat next season.
“Lots of chatter about Perez and Cadillac. I understand he is the frontrunner to join the new American team, but a deal hasn’t been done yet and as he told me recently he is talking to multiple teams to assess his options,” he revealed on X (formerly Twitter).
Lots of chatter about Perez and Cadillac. I understand he is the frontrunner to join the new American team, but a deal hasn’t been done yet and as he told me recently he is talking to multiple teams to assess his options #F1
— Lawrence Barretto (@lawrobarretto) May 1, 2025
With the second sprint race weekend of the season all set to take place at the Miami International Autodrome, this weekend, many believed that Cadillac would take this opportunity to reveal their driver lineup.
In fact, the American team have announced that they will hold an event on Saturday, which could unveil their team’s branding and possibly one of the drivers.
However, if that is to be the case and Perez is one of the drivers being fielded by Cadillac, then he would have had to backtrack on his own decision about his future. Recently, he revealed that he would not put pen to paper immediately.
“I gave myself six months before deciding how to proceed. I want to check my options first before I determine what my next step in my career will look like,” he had said whilst responding to rumors of a comeback.
Planet F1’s Thomas Maher confirmed as much when he revealed that his sources have told him that Cadillac are not going to be making any driver announcements at the race weekend in Miami. So, the event on Saturday could mostly be an official launch of the team’s name, logo, and potential partners.
