Following a difficult final stint at Red Bull, Sergio Perez has responded to “overdelivering” claims with his newfound form in Cadillac’s first Formula 1 season.
Perez made his F1 return this season with Cadillac, following a season away from the sport in 2025. The Mexican driver joined Red Bull in 2021 and greatly assisted his team-mate Max Verstappen in securing his maiden F1 title.
But as the seasons progressed, his time at Milton Keynes grew more difficult. Perez struggled to match the pace of his defending champion team-mate, often finding himself struggling to break into the top 10 during qualifying and challenge the front-runners in longer race formats.
But a particularly hard stint in 2024 was the straw that broke the camel’s back, resulting in Perez and Red Bull parting ways. The Mexican explained that his final months at his former team were trying for him, as he was unable to show the pace and skill that landed him the job in the first place.
“I wasn’t able to show my true potential because of very different circumstances in the last six months at Red Bull,” Perez mentioned to media including Motorsport Week,
“There were a lot of circumstances behind it.”
Perez insists only circumstances have changed
Despite what some may call ‘newfound form’, Perez highlighted that he hasn’t shifted his driving style at all. Rather, he is now in a new environment with vastly different circumstances. All of which have been crucial in his return to the series.
“People think that I’m overdelivering at the moment, but I was driving already at a very high level earlier, given the circumstances I was in,” Perez explained.
“And there’s no difference with this new generation of cars.”
Whilst the numbers alone may not seem great, Perez has impressed many in Cadillac’s debut F1 season. The 36-year-old remains excited about his future with the team, whilst being proud of what they have already accomplished together in such a short period of time.
“I’m really happy with the level at the moment, with my pace,” he said.
“I’m really happy and I seem to be getting better and better. I just have to keep performing. That’s the only thing that matters to me at the moment.”
Perez currently sits in equal 20th place in the drivers’ standings this season. But with half a season under his belt, Checo will be chasing Cadillac’s historic first points finish.
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