As speculated since Cadillac’s F1 entry was confirmed, experience was at the top of their priority list for next season.<\/p>\n
This played into Perez’s hands, with almost a decade F1\u00a0 to draw upon as he leads Cadillac through their first campaign.<\/p>\n
Of course, the 35-year-old’s reputation was damaged after two difficult final years in Red Bull<\/a> (2023\/24).<\/p>\n However, he does not believe there is anything left for him to prove.<\/p>\n Before the season began, there was no shortage of conversation about Red Bull’s line-up.<\/p>\n The Austrian outfit took a risk by promoting Liam Lawson<\/a>, overlooking the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda.<\/p>\n When Lawson was announced, the Kiwi admitted that driving alongside Verstappen<\/a> would be a challenge.<\/p>\n At the same time, he also outlined that it was his responsibility to adapt his driving style to the car at his disposal.<\/p>\n This was a big talking point at Red Bull throughout 2024, with Perez regularly mentioning similar limitations in the RB20.<\/p>\n Since replacing Perez, Red Bull have struggled immensely with their second seat.<\/p>\n Lawson was demoted after just two races, leaving Tsunoda to pick up the pieces<\/a> without any pre-season in the car.<\/p>\n To some extent, this has led to revisionism about the 35-year-old’s end to his time at Milton Keynes.<\/p>\n Speaking in the wake of being confirmed as a Cadillac driver, Perez downplayed the idea there is something to prove:<\/p>\n “My main target is to enjoy it,”<\/em> he told the media, including Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I want to get back to the enjoyment and this project just brings me that excitement back.<\/em><\/p>\n “I couldn’t afford to leave the way I left the sport, you know. <\/em><\/p>\n “And this is why I’m coming back with this new project.<\/em><\/p>\n “When you see the amount of points they’ve scored [Red Bull’s replacements]…\u00a0 <\/em>I don’t think I’ve got anything to prove in that regard.”<\/em><\/p>\n As a new team in Formula 1, Cadillac will face plenty of challenges.<\/p>\n The demands of the 2026 regulations will push the entire field to the limit, presenting several unknowns for engineers across the paddock.<\/p>\n With this in mind, Cadillac understandably want to known quantities next season.<\/p>\n The potential reward of signing a young driver was deemed insufficient when weighed up against the risk of signing a rookie.<\/p>\n After all, the US project will need as much feedback as possible from their drivers to adapt quickly.<\/p>\n Not only does this concern their development, but also the smaller intricacies that go into running a successful operation.<\/p>\n Perez and Bottas<\/a> have a deep understanding of what winning organisations in Formula 1 look like.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/08\/SI202207090152_hires_jpeg_24bit_rgb-1024x683.jpg\")
Perez: My replacements say enough about end of my Red Bull stint<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/08\/SI202304283190_hires_jpeg_24bit_rgb-1024x683.jpg\")
Stability the key at Cadillac<\/h4>\n