Cadillac has barely had time to welcome Marcin Budkowski into the team principal’s chair, yet the new boss may already have one particularly important piece of business on his desk: making sure Sergio Perez stays put.
The Mexican’s future has suddenly become an intriguing subplot in Formula 1’s driver market, with Williams reportedly considering Perez should Carlos Sainz decide to walk away from the struggling outfit.
For Cadillac, however, losing its most experienced driver just as its ambitious F1 project begins to take shape would represent a significant blow.
And Budkowski’s first comments on the subject suggest the new team principal has little appetite for such a scenario.
Asked on Wednesday during a round table with the media about Perez’s situation following his surprise appointment, Budkowski made no attempt to disguise the value he places on the former Red Bull driver.
“It's a tricky one before I start, you know?” he said.
“But Checo's been an asset to the team, and so have both drivers, to be honest, because there's been a lot of talk about Cadillac taking two very experienced drivers, but I think it's crucial in a young team like this to provide that experience and that stability.”
That emphasis on experience is particularly revealing. Cadillac is effectively learning how to become an F1 operation while simultaneously competing in its first season, creating a potentially dangerous cocktail of inexperience and uncertainty.
Budkowski believes Perez can help remove at least one variable from the equation.
“If you have a driver learning and a whole team learning at the same time, that's too many variables. So I think it's important to have a driver like Checo on board,” he said.
The 36-year-old brings more than a decade of F1 experience and 281 Grand Prix starts to the Cadillac project, having spent the latter part of his career at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen. For Budkowski, that background offers something far more valuable than simply pace.
“He's been, from what I know because of the conversations I've had with Dan, but also with other people from the team, he's not only been driving exceptionally well, but he's been pushing the team very, very hard in the background, and that's to be expected from a driver like him who's been at Red Bull for years and with the best.”
That makes the Williams rumours particularly uncomfortable for Cadillac.
Sainz has endured a difficult campaign since joining the Grove-based outfit and has hinted that his future could be settled during the summer break. If the Spaniard does indeed depart, Williams would need a driver capable of providing immediate experience – precisely the qualities Cadillac says it wants to retain.
Budkowski, meanwhile, sees Perez as fitting neatly into the culture he intends to establish.
“I think that's the kind of mindset that we want, and that's also the kind of mindset that I will bring. So I'm sure we will be aligned completely on the mindset and on the drive,” he explained.
If that sounded like an opening salvo in the battle to keep Perez, CEO Dan Towriss went considerably further.
“I would underline all the things that Marcin said,” Towriss added. “Checo's been a tremendous asset to the team. He's driven very well and certainly has pushed quite hard.”
And then came the reassurance Cadillac will want Perez – and its rivals – to hear.
“I'm very confident that Checo is going to remain with Cadillac, and we're not distracted by the Williams rumours for a second. We're very confident in the relationship here and that you're going to see him piloting the Cadillac F1 car,” he concluded.
For Cadillac, the message is unmistakable. Budkowski may have only just arrived, but retaining Perez already looks like one of his priorities. And with Williams potentially circling, the new team principal may discover that keeping Checo in American colours is his first real test of authority.
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