Wheatley convinced Perez still has ‘pace and speed’ to race in F1

Former Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley believes Sergio Perez still has the talent and speed to compete at the highest level of Formula 1, as the Mexican driver eyes a potential comeback with Cadillac in 2026.

Perez, 35, parted ways with Red Bull at the end of last season after four years with the team, during which he earned six wins and finished second in the drivers’ championship in 2023.

Though he was forced to take a step back from the sport, the veteran is now actively exploring opportunities for a return, with Cadillac, set to debut in F1 next year, his most realistic chance.

“No doubt about his pace and his speed”

Speaking to Formula 1’s official website, Wheatley, who spent four seasons at Red Bull working with Perez voiced his support for the latter’s comeback ambitions, pointing to the Mexican’s natural ability and leadership qualities.

“Firstly, I really enjoyed working with Checo. He's a great personality, great attitude to life, full stop,” said the Audi Sauber team principal.

“I have no doubt about his pace and his speed. It's been natural since the beginning. He put in some tremendous drives at my former team and I don't think it's much of a barrier that he's had a bit of time off between driving a Formula 1 car because when you know how to do that, you know how to do it.”

Wheatley also praised the driver’s ability to push the team forward.

“I spent a lot of time with him early on because I wanted to get to know him and I wanted him to adjust to the team,” Wheatley said. “What I really liked was he pushed me in my sporting role – pushed me very, very hard.

“He made me question whether I was putting every bit of effort in, not that he was criticising but he would challenge you in a positive way and I enjoyed it.

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“I think it helped motivate me to become better at my job and I'd like to think maybe it was reciprocal and the work that we did together made him better at his.

“He's fully focused on performance and what do you want from a driver?”

Cadillac decision looms

Cadillac F1, led by team principal Graeme Lowdon, is expected to finalize its 2026 driver line-up in the coming months. With experience a clear priority for the American squad, Perez has emerged as one of the favourites — alongside fellow veteran Valtteri Bottas.

Despite a difficult final campaign at Red Bull, where he was outperformed by Max Verstappen, Perez’s struggles have gained context as successors Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have also found it hard to extract performance from the car.

With Wheatley’s endorsement and Cadillac’s interest, Perez could yet add another chapter to his long and resilient F1 career.

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