Sergio Perez has received a glowing endorsement for one of the two seats at Cadillac’s Formula 1 team next year from former Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.
The Mexican has been out of a drive since being ousted by Red Bull at the end of last season, losing his drive in favour of Liam Lawson.
Perez has largely kept out of the spotlight since his removal from the Milton Keynes-based squad, but his name has continued to surface as the driver market hots up.
Cadillac has been cited as a potential destination for Perez, as the American marque prepares to make its F1 debut.
Cadillac boss Graeme Lowdon has indicated there is no rush for the team to seal a deal, but speculation has been rife that Valtteri Bottas is a strong contender.
But the Finn has also been heavily linked to a drive with Alpine next year, further boosting Perez’s chances, and Verstappen’s backing may further help his cause.
“Checo has always been very strong,” Verstappen said ahead of the British Grand Prix.
“Of course, he had some difficult moments with us, but as long as he has the motivation to race, I think he is a very good choice, especially for a new team.
“If you look at his performances at Force India and Racing Point, you will see that he always scored good points there.”
Sauber boss backs Perez to shine at Cadillac
It isn’t just Verstappen who is singing Perez’s praises, as former Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley also backed him to do well with Cadillac if a deal is done.
Now Sauber Team Principal, Wheatley had first-hand experience of Perez and spoke highly of his ability to perform.
“Firstly, I really enjoyed working with Checo. He’s a great personality, great attitude to life, full stop,” Wheatley said in an interview with F1’s official website.
“I have no doubt about his pace and his speed. It’s been natural since the beginning.
“He put in some tremendous drives at my former team and I don’t think it’s much of a barrier that he’s had a bit of time off between driving a Formula 1 car because when you know how to do that, you know how to do it.”
Wheatley also revealed that Perez was hands-on towards Wheatley in his own position with the team, ensuring he was performing to the best of his capabilities.
“I spent a lot of time with him early on because I wanted to get to know him and I wanted him to adjust to the team,” he continued.
“What I really liked was he pushed me in my sporting role – pushed me very, very hard.
“He made me question whether I was putting every bit of effort in, not that he was criticising but he would challenge you in a positive way and I enjoyed it.
“I think it helped motivate me to become better at my job and I’d like to think maybe it was reciprocal and the work that we did together made him better at his.”
He added: “He’s fully focused on performance and what do you want from a driver?”
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