“I don’t think I’ve got anything to prove” in F1 return

With Cadillac announcing Sergio Perez as part of their 2026 driver line-up, the Mexican returns to the grid after a one-year absence.

Perez will join Valtteri Bottas to form a tried and tested duo at the American team.

As speculated since Cadillac’s F1 entry was confirmed, experience was at the top of their priority list for next season.

This played into Perez’s hands, with almost a decade F1  to draw upon as he leads Cadillac through their first campaign.

Of course, the 35-year-old’s reputation was damaged after two difficult final years in Red Bull (2023/24).

However, he does not believe there is anything left for him to prove.

Perez: My replacements say enough about end of my Red Bull stint

Before the season began, there was no shortage of conversation about Red Bull’s line-up.

The Austrian outfit took a risk by promoting Liam Lawson, overlooking the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda.

When Lawson was announced, the Kiwi admitted that driving alongside Verstappen would be a challenge.

At the same time, he also outlined that it was his responsibility to adapt his driving style to the car at his disposal.

This was a big talking point at Red Bull throughout 2024, with Perez regularly mentioning similar limitations in the RB20.

Since replacing Perez, Red Bull have struggled immensely with their second seat.

Lawson was demoted after just two races, leaving Tsunoda to pick up the pieces without any pre-season in the car.

To some extent, this has led to revisionism about the 35-year-old’s end to his time at Milton Keynes.

Speaking in the wake of being confirmed as a Cadillac driver, Perez downplayed the idea there is something to prove:

“My main target is to enjoy it,” he told the media, including Reuters.

“I want to get back to the enjoyment and this project just brings me that excitement back.

“I couldn’t afford to leave the way I left the sport, you know.

“And this is why I’m coming back with this new project.

“When you see the amount of points they’ve scored [Red Bull’s replacements]…  I don’t think I’ve got anything to prove in that regard.”

Stability the key at Cadillac

As a new team in Formula 1, Cadillac will face plenty of challenges.

The demands of the 2026 regulations will push the entire field to the limit, presenting several unknowns for engineers across the paddock.

With this in mind, Cadillac understandably want to known quantities next season.

The potential reward of signing a young driver was deemed insufficient when weighed up against the risk of signing a rookie.

After all, the US project will need as much feedback as possible from their drivers to adapt quickly.

Not only does this concern their development, but also the smaller intricacies that go into running a successful operation.

Perez and Bottas have a deep understanding of what winning organisations in Formula 1 look like.

Bottas has also been active as Mercedes’ reserve driver in their development for 2026.

These factors make Cadillac’s driver choices appropriate for what will be a testing first campaign.

From the drivers’ perspective, they will hope to see some competitiveness next season – similar to what Haas did when they scored points in their F1 debut in 2026

Simultaneously, Cadillac will expect Perez and Bottas to have some tolerance in the event of a slot start.

Main photo: Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images (via Red Bull content pool)