Sergio Perez has been surprising Cadillac in this early stage of the team in Formula 1, even without having scored points in the season yet. The team principal, Graeme Lowdon, praised the Mexican’s attitude after his return to the grid following a year away from the category.
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After 14 seasons and 281 starts in Formula 1, Perez was released by Red Bull Racing at the end of 2024, following a difficult run of results that year. The Mexican scored only 49 points in the last 18 races of that season, ending his time with the team on a low note.
For its F1 debut, Cadillac bet on an experienced duo, formed by Perez and Valtteri Bottas. The Finn had also spent a year without competing, although he remained present in the paddock due to his role as reserve driver at Mercedes.
Despite occupying the back of the grid, Cadillac managed better performance than many expected at the start of this project. Even still without scoring after five GPs, the team appears ahead of Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship thanks to the 13th place achieved by Bottas at the Chinese GP.
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll had their best results as 15th place, obtained respectively in Miami and Canada, which keeps the American team ahead on the tiebreaker. Still, Lowdon mainly highlighted Perez’s behavior since his return to the category.
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“I am very happy for Checo, because he had a very bold return to the category,” said the manager. “He was out for a year after a very talked-about departure, and spent a lot of time away from the paddock, so it would be understandable to need time to regain pace, but he came back very strong,” he added.
The Cadillac chief highlighted that Perez has not yet achieved the team’s best result, a merit that belongs to Bottas so far. According to Lowdon, this makes a big difference in the championship standings, but the Mexican’s enthusiasm caught internal attention.
“I really like Checo’s enthusiasm for driving, for the race itself. He got out of the car a few times after we fought for positions like P16 or P17, and it seemed like he was fighting for a podium. He clearly appreciates the challenge of competing against drivers he respects, and that is fantastic to see,” he concluded.
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