Cadillac’s Sergio Perez has supported former team-mate Max Verstappen’s claims on ‘difficult’ Formula 1 cars ahead of the 2026 season.
During the first of two pre-season testing weeks in Bahrain, the drivers made their opinions on the new challengers known. Whilst drivers such as George Russell and 2025 World Champion Lando Norris enjoyed the new challenge, others found it harder to have positive feedback on the sweeping changes.
Four-time champion Verstappen openly criticised the new era of F1, citing the changes as ‘anti-racing’ and even saying the cars felt like “Formula E on steroids.”
However, the Dutchman wasn’t the only driver to share this belief.
Perez echoed his prior team-mate’s feelings on the changes, emphasising that the new era of cars remains vastly different to what drivers are used to, forcing them to learn a new style of racing.
“It is very different,” Perez told media, including Motorsport Week, in Bahrain.
“Definitely this Formula 1 does feel extremely different to what I was used to. I’ll say it’s the biggest change I’ve had in my career in terms of regulations.
Perez highlighted that several major regulatory changes have contributed to a difficult start for drivers. All of the teams and drivers are on an even playing field in terms of working out how to utilise new systems to beat their rivals.
“Very difficult to figure it out. What’s going on with the energy, with deployments, all of that is tremendously difficult,” Perez said.
“So yeah, a lot of this power unit comes into play much more than in the past, which is not ideal.”
Energy management proves challenging for drivers
F1’s increased hybrid developments for the 2026 season appears to be at the centre of concern for many drivers. The 2026 power units have a 50/50 power split between petrol and electric components. Additionally, drivers will need to conserve energy during laps to utilise the new versions of DRS, thus making overtaking significantly more complex.
Perez admitted that for drivers, overtaking remains a big unknown. Both teams and drivers will have to wait until the season opener in Melbourne, when they will experience race conditions on track for the first time.
While these situations can be tested on the simulator, drivers won’t know how different certain aspects of racing are until they hit the track at Albert Park.
“I want to see how the racing is, because for me the main fun is the racing. At the moment, I just don’t know how we’re racing,” Perez explained.
“It seems like overtaking may be a little bit trickier, managing your energies and etc.
It might become, I don’t want to jump into conclusions, but they can be like Formula E racing. So let’s wait and see.”
Perez’s comments indirectly support Verstappen, who suggested the new formula risks prioritising energy saving over flat-out wheel-to-wheel combat.
“I think it can be chaotic,” he said.
“I think especially the first races, getting everyone to get to know their power units, their management when you can use the overtake button, the amount of energy you drain while you’re using it — all of that.
It’s very, very tricky.”
Perez remains focused on Cadillac success in 2026
Despite the challenges, Perez believes Cadillac are on track with its preparations for its debut campaign. The American outfit faces the hard task of coming into the sport as it undergoes sweeping regulation changes.
However, the team are confident they will hit the ground running immediately.
“I think overall it’s going well, it’s going in the right direction,” Perez said.
“The team has done a good job, obviously, getting all the puzzle together. It’s quite not an easy one, I’d say, but we’re making progress, which is the main thing for us as a new team.”
With Melbourne looming as the season opener, Perez insisted that the team’s starting position during the first few races means very little to them. Rather, they are more focused on the long-term development of the team.
“So, yeah, looking forward to hopefully start making even more progress in the coming days, coming weeks,” The Mexican driver added.
“I think it’s a little bit irrelevant where we start in Melbourne, it’s how much progress we are able to make in the coming weekends.
I see mainly it’s been the progress we’ve been able to make understandingly on the engine side, it’s a tremendous change. It has changed a lot. So yeah, a lot of changing out there. A lot of understanding to do as well. So yeah, looking forward to getting on top of all those things.”
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