Since becoming Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley has enjoyed some big results. His biggest success with the Hinwil squad came in Britain, where Nico Hulkenberg claimed his first F1 podium – and Sauber’s first since Kamui Kobayashi in 2012.
With Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto under contract, Sauber are satisfied with their driver line-up.
Elsewhere on the grid, negotiations are ongoing as teams finalise their 2026 duos. From Wheatly’s perspective, Sergio Perez could easily be one of those to secure a contract.
Wheatley: Perez’s pace “has been there since the beginning”
During his extensive spell as Red Bull Sporting Director, Wheatley worked closely with Sergio Perez.
The 58-year-old left the team only a few months before the Mexican driver’s departure was confirmed.
In many ways, Wheatley’s exit from Milton Keynes represented one of many indications that Red Bull was entering a transitional phase.
Key personnel like Adrian Newey, Bob Marshall and Wheatley have all moved on from the Austrian outfit.
When they were all at Red Bull, however, the team was at its peak. Sergio Perez also contributed to this golden era, even if his struggles in 2023 and 2024 overshadowed his better spells earlier on.
In any case, Sauber’s team principal has reaffirmed his belief that Perez is an F1-calibre driver:
“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.
“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.
“What I really liked was he pushed me in my sporting role – pushed me very, very hard…
“Not that he was criticising, but he would challenge you in a positive way, and I enjoyed it.”
Cadillac remains Perez’s best chance of F1 return
There are still a few teams yet to confirm their line-ups for 2026. These unconfirmed seats range from the very front of the grid, Mercedes and Red Bull, to the very back – including Alpine and incoming entrant Cadillac.
At various stages since leaving Red Bull, Perez has been linked to both Cadillac and Alpine.
In fact, the 6-time winner was mentioned as a favourite to join the US project in the early months of 2025.
He remains a front-runner to secure a Cadillac contract, although it is now clear that other drivers – like Valtteri Bottas – represent strong competition.
Contract discussions over the summer will confirm if F1’s newest team wants two experienced drivers, or if they prefer the balance of having a veteran and relative youngster.
Still, Cadillac represents the most obvious path back to the grid for Perez.
Alpine have occasionally been mentioned as an option for the 35-year-old.
However, predicting the Enstone team’s driver selection ahead of the 2026 season is very difficult.
A vast range of scenarios, from keeping Colapinto to making another mid-season swap, are all theoretically possible at Alpine.
Because of this, Perez is expected to focus on Cadillac as conversations about next year begin to intensify.
Main photo: Andy Hone/LAT Images (Sauber media gallery)
