Back full-time in Formula 1 with Cadillac after a year away, Sergio Pérez had to readjust to a particularly intense daily routine.
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After a full season away from the grid, Sergio Pérez returned to Formula 1 in 2026. The Mexican was chosen by Cadillac to accompany the American team’s first steps in the discipline, alongside Valtteri Bottas.
Pérez had left Red Bull after a particularly difficult 2024 season. Without a seat in 2025, he was thus able to distance himself from the frantic pace imposed by a Formula 1 season.
His experience was nevertheless a strong argument when Cadillac was looking for its first drivers. With more than a decade spent in the top category, the Mexican had precisely the profile sought to contribute to the development of a brand new team.
But when he resumed his activities full-time, Pérez quickly discovered that his main difficulty was not necessarily the one he had imagined.
A lifestyle to regain
After a year away from the daily constraints of Formula 1, the Mexican mainly had to readjust to the extremely busy schedule of a driver.
“The biggest challenge was to get back into the rhythm of a Formula 1 driver’s schedule, to be honest”, explains Pérez.
Testing, international travel, media obligations and team activities quickly followed one another, reminding him how little room for improvisation life in the paddock allows.
“At first, I could participate in a test, then receive a message telling me I had to be in another country two days later, before having to leave for yet another country two days after.”
After a year with a much less demanding pace, this constant succession of travel required a real adjustment period.
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“You forget what a Formula 1 driver’s life looks like”
Pérez admits that his year away had made him lose the habit of this particularly rigorous organization.
“You have to get back into that rhythm. You tend to forget what a Formula 1 driver’s life looks like, how everything is busy and planned. You constantly live according to a schedule.”
For the Mexican, this return to a life entirely organized around the demands of competition was the most delicate aspect of his readjustment.
“That’s what was the hardest for me to regain.”
This difficulty was, however, only temporary. After a few months, the former Red Bull driver had regained his habits.
“After two or three months, I didn’t really have a choice anyway, so I got used to it.”
Pérez, an experience choice for Cadillac
Cadillac had precisely bet on experience by forming its first driver duo. With Pérez and Bottas, the American team has two men who have accumulated many seasons at the highest level and are capable of providing valuable feedback in the development of its car.
The challenge remains immense, however. After eleven Grands Prix contested this season, Cadillac is still waiting to score the first points in its history in Formula 1.
Beyond immediate results, the team’s first campaign must above all allow it to gain experience and build the foundations necessary to progress. In this mission, Pérez’s experience represents an important asset.
Once the particular rhythm of Formula 1 is regained, the Mexican can now fully focus on what constitutes his main objective: helping Cadillac to progress and gradually get closer to the rest of the pack.
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