Perez stuns: Maiden season with Cadillac ‘one of my best years’

Sergio Perez has endured a season of struggles, retirements and disappointing results with Cadillac. Yet the Mexican has delivered a verdict on his 2026 campaign that will likely raise a few eyebrows.

Returning to the grid after being dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2024, Perez joined Cadillac for its debut season with something to prove. The six-time Grand Prix winner was eager to demonstrate that his abilities had not diminished during his final, difficult months alongside Max Verstappen.

While the results have hardly set the world alight, Perez insists that judging his season by the championship standings alone misses the point.

Asked by Motorsport.com whether 2026 was his worst year in F1, the 36-year-old surprisingly dismissed the suggestion outright.

“No, not at all,” he said.

“In terms of results, obviously… But I think people who understand the sport can see the level at which I am driving and the level I’ve been maintaining, the performance I’ve delivered, and they can understand the calibre of the year I’ve had.”

Results tell only half the story

The numbers offer little immediate support for Perez's upbeat assessment. Cadillac remains the only team yet to score a championship point this season, with Valtteri Bottas's 13th place in China its best result so far.

Persistent reliability problems have compounded the team's struggles, with overheating among its recurring headaches. But Perez argues that the machinery beneath him is a decisive factor in the equation.

“In the end, Formula 1 depends heavily on your car to achieve big things,” he said.

“Ultimately, we have people who know a lot about this sport, and obviously my team, and they know the level I’m at.”

His performances against experienced team-mate Bottas have also strengthened his case, with Perez holding the upper hand in their head-to-head comparisons.

A season of confidence and responsibility

Asked to assess his campaign not just by results but by his driving, decision-making and contribution to the team, Perez was even more emphatic.

“I think one of my best years,” he insisted. “Without a doubt, in terms of confidence, driving level, decision-making, leadership, without a doubt one of my best years.”

• Read also: Bottas makes eyebrow-raising claim about Cadillac's new home

That final word, leadership, is particularly significant for a fledgling operation still establishing itself in F1. Perez sees his role as extending well beyond extracting performance from the car, with his experience giving him considerable influence over Cadillac's development.

“I am being part of something so important and fundamental in a new project. My voice carries a lot of weight here, and I think that, as a driver, carries a lot of responsibility as well,” he concluded.

Cadillac may be struggling to make its presence felt on the timing screens, but Perez believes he has rediscovered something more valuable than results alone: confidence in his own abilities.

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