Sergio Pérez has been racing full-time in Formula 1 again since the current season. The Mexican is working as a driver for Cadillac, after previously spending four seasons as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull. Despite his extensive experience in the top class, Pérez mainly had to get used to the busy schedule of an F1 driver again: “I had forgotten that.”
Read more McLaren boss speaks out about controversial 2026 rules: ‘Best drivers still finish at the top’
Sergio Pérez had to leave Red Bull at the end of 2024 after a disappointing season with the Austrians. The Mexican then spent a year on the sidelines before making his return this year for the American Cadillac. That last part was a bit of an adjustment for Pérez – who has been racing on and off in Formula 1 since 2011.
‘Biggest challenge’
“The biggest challenge was honestly getting back into the rhythm of the busy schedule of an F1 driver,” Pérez told the media. “At first, I did a test and then I got a message that I had to be in another country in two days, and two days later in yet another country.”
Read more Jan Lammers: ‘In 10 years we will only realize what the Dutch GP has achieved’
Despite his extensive experience in the top class of motorsport, the Mexican driver admits that he had forgotten that aspect of Formula 1 for a while. “When you have to get used to it again, you often forget what the life of an F1 driver looks like,” he continued. “How busy it is and how tightly everything is scheduled. You really live according to a strict timetable. That was the hardest thing for me to get back under control. But then, within two or three months, I got used to it again.” Pérez still has a contract with Cadillac until the end of the current season.
Read more Cadillac appoints Marcin Budkowski as new team principal with immediate effect
Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
