Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon believe Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez won’t be at a disadvantage upon their comebacks to Formula 1 due to new regulations.
Bottas and Perez, who bring over 450 Grand Prix starts and multiple race victories, will return to the grid in 2026 with Cadillac as the team debuts in the sport.
Their comeback has excited many and has also received backing from current F1 drivers who have faced similar situations.
Both Albon and Ocon have gone through the same process, leading them to believe the timing of Bottas and Perez’s return couldn’t be better for the experienced drivers.
Ocon, who sat out during the 2019 season before returning one year later, insists the pair’s experience will make the transition easier and make Cadillac a threat in 2026.
“It’s not easy for sure,” Ocon admitted when talking to media including Motorsport Week.
“But I think with such level of experience, it shouldn’t take them too long to get back up to speed. They’ve had hundreds of races. They know how a team works.
“They know how Formula 1 works. And also, we are going to have much more testing before we get back to racing with a new era of cars.
“So everybody is going to learn, and that’s going to be easier for the guys coming back than normal.”
The Frenchman, who previously partnered Perez at Force India for two seasons in 2017 and 2018, expressed his excitement for the return of his erstwhile team-mate.
“Great to see Checo back. I was teaming up with him for two years,” he continued.
Great to see him back on the grid and Valtteri, I think both of them deserve to be back.”
Regulations reset to lend a helping hand
Albon, who spent 2021 as Red Bull’s reserve driver, returned to racing in 2022 with Williams.
This signing came just in time for the most recent regulation changes in the F1, allowing him an even playing field with his rivals.
The 29-year-old emphasised that the 2026 regulation changes should make Bottas and Perez’s comeback smoother.
“One of the benefits of my year – and I think also to Checo’s and Valtteri’s – is the regulation reset,” Albon explained to media including Motorsport Week.
“You don’t have the drivers carrying all the experience from the last few years of the car’s regulations, so it’s a bit more of a level playing field once you return.
Whilst the Anglo-Thai driver relied on tyre testing and extensive simulator work during his hiatus, he thinks the same level of preparation isn’t essential for such experienced drivers.
“I don’t think with their experience they’ll have missed out too much – they’ll fall back into the swing of things pretty quickly,” he concluded.
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