Sergio Pérez has rediscovered his confidence since his return to Formula 1. The Mexican had a difficult final period at Red Bull and was forced to the sidelines in 2025, but feels completely at home with Cadillac again. According to Pérez, many people underestimated him based on his last months with the Austrian racing team. “When you look at the performances I am delivering now, you realize that I do indeed belong among the best drivers,” says Pérez.
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Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez drove for Red Bull between 2021 and 2024, but his time with the team did not end as he had hoped. The Mexican emphasizes that his results in his final months did not give a fair representation of his level as a driver. “If you look at my time at Red Bull, you probably wouldn’t think I belong among the best drivers. But if you understand the circumstances under which I had to perform then and how results in Formula 1 come about, a completely different picture emerges,” says Pérez during a media event in Monaco.
The move to Cadillac has helped Pérez regain that confidence. Although the team is not yet competing for points or podium finishes, the driver notices that he can once again show what he is capable of. “When you look at the performances I am delivering now at Cadillac, you realize that I do indeed belong among the best drivers. I am happy to have returned and to have been able to prove that to myself again. Ultimately, as a driver, you mainly compete with yourself. You want to have confidence that you can still perform at the highest level,” emphasizes the Mexican.
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‘The speed was always there’
Pérez admits that after leaving Red Bull, he doubted whether he should return to Formula 1. His family played an important role in this, but at the same time, he felt that his story in the sport was not yet over. “I felt that I didn’t want to leave Formula 1 the way it had ended, because I believe I belong among the top drivers. When I got back into a Ferrari during a test and was immediately up to speed after ten laps, I realized that it had mainly been due to the circumstances,” he explains.
According to Pérez, his current performances confirm what he had long thought. The Cadillac driver sees his qualifications and races as proof that his speed has never disappeared, despite the difficult period at Red Bull. “When I look at the past races and the level of performance I am showing, it gives me the feeling that that speed has always been there. At some point, you start to think that you might be the problem or that you are no longer as good as you used to be. But often, many more factors are at play than people see,” concludes Pérez.
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