{"id":32115,"date":"2025-03-28T15:02:28","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T19:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=32115"},"modified":"2025-03-28T15:08:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T19:08:54","slug":"sergio-perez-in-talks-for-f1-comeback-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/28\/sergio-perez-in-talks-for-f1-comeback-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Sergio Perez in talks for F1 comeback in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It was less than twelve months ago that <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/02\/10\/sergio-perez-emerges-as-early-contender-to-join-cadillac-f1-entry\/\" target=\"_self\">Sergio Perez<\/a> was at the centre of Red Bull&#8217;s driver dilemma. His position at the Milton Keynes was under scrutiny throughout the year &#8211; until Red Bull took the decision to replace him with Liam Lawson.<\/p>\n<p>Even in the immediate aftermath of his Red Bull departure, Perez is understood to have been working towards an F1 comeback in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>After all, the Mexican driver has a very solid track record in the midfield.<\/p>\n<p>However, his already notable market value is likely to have grown in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<p>After all, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/22\/f1-red-bull-considering-lawson-mid-season-swap\/\" target=\"_self\">Liam Lawson&#8217;s struggles<\/a> in the RB21 have created a more positive narrative about Perez&#8217;s 2024 campaign.<\/p>\n<p>With this in mind, Perez is well-positioned as 2026 contract negotiations commence.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"V8oIXFotSw5b-l75ytpgcA\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2188464740\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'V8oIXFotSw5b-l75ytpgcA',sig:'o06HB89Zfxr-Wq8rVo9efGaXmdcwtuO3RM1fGgzk9vo=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2188464740',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Why Perez is valued in the market<\/h4>\n<p>Heading into the 2026 regulations, there is immense uncertainty about what the grid will look like.<\/p>\n<p>New engines, different aerodynamic constraints and new sustainable fuels create a huge challenge for teams.<\/p>\n<p>In this environment, having a strong and dependable driver line-up is essential.<\/p>\n<p>Sergio Perez&#8217;s 10-year F1 career gives him a wealth of experience to draw upon for the new regulations.<\/p>\n<p>Amidst the worst moments in his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/23\/christian-horner-fails-to-rule-out-tsunoda-and-lawson-swap\/\" target=\"_self\">Red Bull<\/a> spell, what cannot be denied is Perez&#8217;s ability to identify a problem.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, it was the 35-year-old who first warned about the RB19&#8217;s handling in 2023. At the time, Christian Horner&#8217;s personnel did not see these complaints as ground for drastic revisions.<\/p>\n<p>However, Perez&#8217;s observations <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/01\/29\/adrian-newey-red-bull-did-not-share-my-development-concerns\/\" target=\"_self\">were consistent with those of Adrian Newey<\/a> &#8211; who was also concerned about the characteristics emerging from Red Bull&#8217;s challengers.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, the last twelve months have exposed many of the underling weaknesses in the RB20 and RB21.<\/p>\n<p>A driver such as Perez, capable of giving accurate feedback, will be invaluable in an era of unknowns in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"9XL2gwugQE1T6ueKOZPDWQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2188667378\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'9XL2gwugQE1T6ueKOZPDWQ',sig:'9nTmlrgPi2xXg9DJ0kvFVkFmymTzgvGun95ILDrfgPI=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2188667378',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Ticking the boxes for Cadillac<\/h4>\n<p>When focusing specifically on the needs and demands at Cadillac, Perez&#8217;s strengths are increasingly important.<\/p>\n<p>It would be unfair to downplay the US outfit&#8217;s chances of being competitive in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Their investment into infrastructure and recruiting skilled personnel put them in a strong position.<\/p>\n<p>They also have the luxury of being able to divert all their resources to the 2026 car &#8211; rather than splitting their attention between this season and the next.<\/p>\n<p>Because of this, Cadillac should not be perceived as a team just hoping to tread water in their first campaign.<\/p>\n<p>With that said, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/02\/05\/f1-cadillacs-leading-options-for-their-2026-lineup\/\" target=\"_self\">the services of an experienced driver like Sergio Perez would be invaluable<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The team have already expressed their desire for someone with experience to join their ranks in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>With this context, it is hardly surprising that Cadillac and Perez are already in contract talks.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.mx\/2025\/03\/24\/checo-perez-esta-negociando-con-cadillac-para-volver-a-la-f1-en-2026-confirma-chacho-lopez\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fox Sports Mexico<\/a>, negotiations between both parties are underway.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the 35-year-old&#8217;s speed and experience, he also brings significant commercial value to the table.<\/p>\n<p>This makes him an even more logical candidate for Cadillac &#8211; even if the likes of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will also be working on a deal with the American squad.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, with the driver market already creating surprises, Sergio Perez&#8217;s chances of an F1 return should not be underestimated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was less than twelve months ago that Sergio Perez was at the centre of Red Bull&#8217;s driver dilemma. His position at the Milton Keynes was under scrutiny throughout the year &#8211; until Red Bull took the decision to replace him with Liam Lawson. Even in the immediate aftermath of his Red Bull departure, Perez [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4927,"featured_media":32116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[2452,2348,78],"class_list":["post-32115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-1","category-news","tag-f1-2025-season","tag-perez","tag-red-bull-racing"],"modified_by":"Jaden Diaz-Ndisang","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4927"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32115"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32122,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32115\/revisions\/32122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}