Red Bull driver issue hands Sergio Perez F1 return boost

Sergio Perez's disappointing end to life at Red Bull may prove fruitful for a potential return to F1.

The Mexican racer was dropped from his role as Max Verstappen's team-mate at the end of 2024 following a run of poor performances, but is now a favourite to claim one of two seats with the new Cadillac F1 team.

The American outfit will become the 11th team on the grid in 2026 but are yet to announce their first driver line-up, with team principal Graeme Lowdon insistent on choosing his driver duo carefully.

Perez is among the many names consistently raised as a potential option to join Cadillac and now, Canadian racing driver and pundit James Hinchcliffe has claimed his time at Red Bull could improve his chances of returning to the pinnacle of motorsport.

Discussing the chances of Perez joining Cadillac, F1 TV pundit Hinchcliffe said: "I think when you have a team where so much is new, the more experience you can build into the team from the get-go, the better.

"He's been part of one of the most successful organisations of the last decade. We've kind of seen recently when other drivers have been put in the car alongside Max that Checo actually was fairly competitive compared to him, which I think actually helped raise his stock.

"You could argue his stock was as low as it's been at the end of last year when he gets dropped. But then seeing how this team has performed this year and the second drivers performed this year, I think his stock's actually gone back up a little bit."

Why Perez Red Bull struggles could attract F1 rival

Though the 35-year-old was lambasted last season for failing to keep up with Verstappen throughout the 2024 campaign, his experience and contribution to Red Bull's 2022 and 2023 constructors' victories could prove highly valuable for a new team like Cadillac.

Perez himself finished runner-up in the drivers' championship in 2023 and although Red Bull cannot be blamed for feeling that his time at the Milton Keynes-based squad was up in 2024, the issue they are now experiencing with the second seat is arguably worse than any performance Perez put in.

Since the Mexican star left the sport in December last year, Red Bull have already handed the second seat at the main team to Liam Lawson, who was demoted after only two races, and Yuki Tsunoda, whose place hasn't been confirmed for 2026.

The reality is however that Perez is just one of many names who could be handed a chance to prove themselves once again in the sport, although Cadillac's place in the pecking order would likely be low throughout their first season, something Checo may not deem worth making a comeback for.

Fellow F1 TV presenter Lawrence Barretto touched on his own conversations with the ex-Red Bull driver on this subject, telling Hinchcliffe and the F1 team: "I've talked to Checo a couple times over the last couple of months… what I can tell you is he is super hungry to come back to Formula 1 for the right project.

"I think the reason why Cadillac is so attractive to him is because of everything they are throwing at it. And I think he understands that, you know, year one isn't going to be the year where he's going to set the world alike.

"But I think it is an opportunity for him to use the skill set that actually made him so highly rated, which was, the way he motivated a team, the way that he could manage tyres, the way that he could develop a car over the course of a season and through the winter. I think all of these things are not readily available in Formula 1 from the drivers who are available on the market at the minute. And I think that's why Checo’s name was in the mix so early on and why I think he is going to be in the car. I think they've got to have him in the car because they need that experience."

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