Perez credits Cadillac comeback with restoring confidence lost in Red Bull decline

Sergio Perez arrived at the Monaco Grand Prix weekend insisting his return to Formula 1 with Cadillac has proven to him what his Red Bull exit threatened to obscure: that he remains one of the sport’s elite drivers. The 36-year-old Mexican, dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2024 after a prolonged slump in form, says his performances in the early rounds of the 2026 season have answered questions he had begun to ask himself.

Perez spent 18 difficult months at Red Bull unable to match team-mate Max Verstappen, who claimed a fourth drivers’ championship with the RB20 while Perez’s confidence visibly eroded. The gap between the two sides of the garage widened, and Perez has acknowledged that the pressure he felt within the team compounded his difficulties.

“Obviously, when you look at my last six months at Red Bull, you wouldn’t think that I’m one of the best out there,” Perez said. “But when you understand the circumstances I was in at that point, when you see the level of performance that I’m putting in with my team, you realise that I’m one of the best out there. The way I struggled in my last period at Red Bull, it hurts your confidence.”

After a sabbatical in 2025, Perez joined Cadillac’s debut F1 season alongside fellow veteran Valtteri Bottas. The team’s early campaign has been hampered by operational issues, making direct performance comparisons difficult, but Perez says his own driving has given him the reassurance he needed.

He pointed to a Ferrari test at Imola in November as the moment clarity returned. “When I jumped in the Ferrari and I was up to speed within 10 laps after not driving anything, it must have been the circumstances I was in,” he said. “In the last three or four races, the level of performance that I’m able to put in — qualifying, race pace — makes me feel like the speed has always been there.”

Perez was candid about how deeply the Red Bull period affected him mentally. “At the end of the day, you require the right circumstances to be able to show your talent,” he said. “In that regard, I’m very pleased I came back and proved it to myself. As a driver you want to have that confidence in yourself.”

While Cadillac’s 2026 machinery has not yet allowed either driver to challenge the front of the grid, Perez’s measured satisfaction with his own performances suggests a driver who has found his footing again after one of the more public confidence crises in recent F1 history.