The Key Factor That Convinced Cadillac to Sign Sergio Perez

The team did their due diligence before committing to their lineup, with Cadillac F1 Team and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss commenting, “It was important for us to kind of know where Sergio's at in terms of his desire to be back in Formula 1, and also his belief in our project in leading the Cadillac Formula 1 Team.

“And we couldn't have been more pleased with his response.”

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A driver shaped by F1’s biggest challenges

If there is one thing we can safely say about Perez when it comes to Formula 1, it is that he has seen it all. Across his 14 seasons in the F1, he has raced in 281 Grands Prix, covering nearly 15,500 race laps, had six teammates across four different constructors, and used three engine providers (Ferrari, Mercedes, and Honda). 

And this incredible repertoire is what stood out to Towriss, who recalled the interview he had with Perez prior to making his final decision, saying, "As we went through that meeting, those experiences really came through. I mean, he nailed the meeting. We left really excited about his candidacy.

"I think probably before that, maybe we're looking at a younger driver. But he was fantastic," Towriss boasted. "And the experience really starts to separate itself from those who haven't been in the seat yet."

Yet these massive numbers don’t rack up just by a driver simply existing through the moments. They happen from having the capacity to absorb each lesson that a race offers and taking that lesson on to the next challenge. 

And this is exactly what Perez has shown. From fighting in the midfield for Sauber and Force India/Racing Point (now Aston Martin) to securing podiums and Constructors' titles with Red Bull, he has been able to learn and adapt, honing the mentality of a top-tier driver.

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Thriving in the pressure cooker of the paddock

If there is one thing that any great F1 driver must have, aside from raw speed, it is the ability to withstand the pressures of this cutthroat sport. And if there is one common theme that sticks out about Perez, it is his ability to endure pressure, be it on- or off-track. After all, he wasn’t dubbed the "Mexican Minister of Defense" for nothing. 

The nickname first arose from a particularly masterful display of defensive driving at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in which he held up Lewis Hamilton long enough for Max Verstappen to gain ground and make his attack. This was a crucial part of the race that saw Perez not only go toe-to-toe with one of the greatest drivers in all of F1, but match him step for step for laps on end. In the end, it was a major factor in opening the door for Verstappen to win his first Drivers’ title and kicking off the most recent era of Red Bull dominance. 

But Perez has shown his ability to handle pressure from beyond singular on-track battles to those he faced across the paddock as a whole. An excellent example is the tricky situation Red Bull has found themselves in with regards to their second driver.

Commenting on the difficulty of taming the Red Bull car, and the performance gap frequently seen between Verstappen and his teammates, Perez recently said, “It's just a very unique driving style.”

“Sometimes I could cope with it, I could adapt to it, but as soon as there was a variable with the rain, with the wind or something, it just became undriveable. And then you start making mistakes one after the other, you are losing confidence…”

Indeed, Perez's performances may have seemed lackluster at the end of last season compared to where he started 2024. Yet how Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have fared in the Red Bull this year has only highlighted just how much Perez was able to get out of that car. 

“But mentally I was super strong,” he said on this. “And that's why I survived there for so long, because I did have a lot of pressure and a lot of you guys [journalists] were onto me. And now you realize the job I've done in that car and that team.”

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The perfect fit for Cadillac

Hindsight may be 20/20 for us all in this situation, but Cadillac is using that to their benefit as they secure themselves a driver who they know has the mental fortitude to extract performance out of a car without wavering under the microscope he will likely be put on from all fronts.

What's more, Cadillac has decided to combine Perez's adaptability and capacity to not buckle under pressure with the ability and technical acumen of ex-Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. Together, the two will make the most experienced driver pairing on the 2026 grid, something that Cadillac has put a lot of value in.

"They’ve seen it all and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1,” said Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon of his duo. “But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team.

"Their leadership, feedback, race-hardened instincts and of course their speed will be invaluable as we bring this team to life.”

Truly, with everything that he has been through, there is nothing any team can throw at Perez that he isn’t prepared to handle. And that is exactly what Cadillac needs as they commit themselves setting down the foundations for a long-term future in F1.

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Cover photo via Red Bull Content Pool.