Red Bull boss Christian Horner has claimed he “wouldn’t be surprised” should Sergio Perez or Daniel Ricciardo return to Formula 1 with the new Cadillac team in 2026.
Perez and Ricciardo won’t be present on the F1 grid next season, with both having lost their respective places in the Red Bull stable to Liam Lawson in recent months.
Ricciardo was dropped in September to give Lawson a chance with Red Bull’s sister side, then named RB, to stake his claim to a possible move up to the senior setup.
Lawson impressed enough in his six-race stint to land the promotion to Red Bull over Yuki Tsunoda to replace Perez, whose dismal campaign led to him being ousted.
However, Perez and Ricciardo’s prospects of earning a reprieve in F1 come 2026 will be heightened due to the sport’s impending expansion to 11 teams with Cadillac.
The General-Motors-backed squad’s line-up is expected to include at least one driver with F1 experience, prompting Perez and Ricciardo to be considered top choices.
When asked whether General Motors’ arrival could be a chance for Ricciardo to complete a comeback, Horner told talkSPORT: “I wouldn’t be surprised.
“I wouldn’t at all be surprised if they went for the experience of someone like Sergio if he wants to decide to continue his career in F1.”
Perez to weigh up next move in sabbatical
But although Ricciardo signalled that he has brought an end to his F1 career, Horner revealed that Perez is embarking upon a sabbatical as he ponders his next move.
“I think the thing for Checo is to take a bit of time out, spend it with his family,” Horner said last week. “He has been on the treadmill for a long time now and work out whether he wants to keep going in Formula 1 or maybe look at other categories, maybe sports cars or something along those lines.
“But I think he needs to take some time out and see how much he misses driving a grand prix car, and then only he can decide what he wants for the future.”
Cadillac arrival won’t change things for Red Bull
Cadillac’s disadvantage as a new entrant will be lessened as the American marque’s maiden F1 season in 2026 will coincide with sweeping new technical regulations.
However, Horner has explained that Red Bull, which will partner with Ford to tackle the revamped engine rules, has enough on its plate without thinking about Cadillac.
“It doesn’t change anything, really for us,” he added.
“We just focus on ourselves. It means that some of the paddocks will be a little busier with an 11th team in 2026. For us, it’s business as normal.
“They’ve got their own mountain to climb. We’re focused on making sure that we’re staying at the top of ours.”
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