The legendary Mexican Formula 1 racer, Sergio “Checo” Perez, is set to return to F1 for the 2026 season with the newly added Cadillac team. The last time Perez was in F1, he was with Redbull in 2024, alongside Max Verstappen, where he won multiple championships in the span of four seasons. Perez will be joining Cadillac alongside Valtteri Bottas where he hopes to find success once again.
Perez had a great career at Redbull alongside Max Vertsappen, where he was able to win 6 Grand Prixs and 2 Constructors’ Championships. “Checo” Perez left Redbull at the end of the 2024 season after a downfall in his performance that led him to stop scoring points for the team and failing to win races. Perez and the RedBull team came to a mutual agreement that terminated his contact early for the 2025 season and beyond.
During 2025 Perez decided to take a break from F1 and focus on other things such as family. In March of 2025, the FIA approved Cadillac’s request to join F1 as the 11th team in the sport. Cadillac searched for experienced drivers that could help them start off strong and build their team up from there. In doing so they decided to sign both Serigo Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
This is great news for Perez fans that have been waiting for his return after his heart breaking departure from Redbull. “Checo” has incredible talent and many say that he is the reason Max Verstappen was able to win the World Championship title, due to his extraordinary collaboration and coordination skills. I believe this is a golden opportunity for Perez to return and get a chance to redeem himself.
For me to see a Mexican like myself in such an amazing and rigorous sport that takes a lot of money and time to get into is an honor. He represents more than just a Formula 1 driver. He represents his country and its people at such a grand level. I am super ecstatic to see what Perez has waiting for us this 2026 season, especially now that he will be on a new team in which he will actually be more appreciated.
With Rebull Perez was not able to show off his full potential. Everything was centered around Max Verstappen. Perez was forced to continuously give Max priority, and help him win races while still providing good performances for the team himself. The cars were made to Verstappen’s specifications and what he needed to be able to win. Perez was solely there to assist him and get RedBull “Constructor points” to win the Constructors’ Championship. Perez recently shared that being Max’s teammate in Redbull was the worst job in F1.
“Being Max’s teammate at Red Bull is the worst job there is in Formula One, by far,” Pérez said in an interview on Osvaldo Trava’s Cracks podcast.
That shows how Perez wasn’t comfortable working at Redbull and he was being restrained from reaching his full potential. Now that he will be at a new team, he will hopefully be able to show off more of his talent. Perez is coming back to Formula 1 with a fresh mindset in a new team that has a clear vision to dominate the sport. There will be nothing holding him back this time, everything is set for him to make his comeback season.
