Sergio Pérez and Cadillac F1 Search for Midfield Breakthrough Ahead of Miami

After a year away from the cockpit, Sergio Pérez is navigating a challenging return to Formula 1 with the all-new Cadillac team. The 36-year-old Mexican veteran, known for his tire management and analytical approach, is currently fighting to establish the American outfit as a competitive force in a 2026 season that has started with significant hurdles.

For Pérez, the transition to Cadillac has been a test of patience. While he brings a wealth of experience—including six career wins and 39 podiums—the team is still finding its footing. Through the first three races of the season, Pérez sits 20th in the standings with zero points, reflecting the steep learning curve facing a fledgling team trying to close the gap to the established midfield.

The Suzuka Turning Point

Despite the lack of points, the recent Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit provided a glimmer of optimism for the TWG-backed team. After “up-and-down” performances in Australia and China, Cadillac recorded what Pérez described as their strongest race of the year.

The weekend was marked by a notable qualifying performance. Both Pérez and his teammate, Sergio Pérez‘s similarly experienced partner Valtteri Bottas, managed to outqualify the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. While they remained significantly off the pace of the leaders—trailing Oliver Bearman’s Haas by 1.2 seconds—beating a seasoned team like Aston Martin served as a critical benchmark for the team’s progress.

In the race, Pérez secured a milestone for the new team by finishing 17th. Crucially, he completed the race on the lead lap, a feat that signaled improved reliability and pace compared to the opening rounds.

“Today was our strongest race so far this year,” Pérez said following the event. “We’ve made a lot of progress in a short space of time, and we can be happy to get two cars past the finish yet again… We were clearly faster than Aston Martin and we can see our pace is getting stronger.”

While Bottas also finished the race, he was unable to keep Alonso behind and finished a lap down on race winner Kimi Antonelli.

Targeting the Miami Upgrade

The focus for Cadillac now shifts to the United States. The team is preparing its first major upgrade package for the Miami Grand Prix, one of three home races on the 22-race calendar. Pérez believes these technical improvements are the key to moving beyond the back of the grid and challenging for points.

The goal is clear: transition from simply finishing races to actively challenging the midfield pack. For a driver who was the runner-up in the World Drivers’ Championship in 2023, the current struggle is a far cry from his time at Red Bull, but the opportunity to facilitate build a team from the ground up offers a different kind of professional challenge.

To place the current struggle in perspective, F1 readers should note that new teams often face a “development lag” where the initial car is built for reliability rather than raw speed, requiring several update packages before they can compete for top-10 finishes.

A Veteran Presence in a New Era

Perez’s role at Cadillac extends beyond his driving. As the most successful Mexican driver in F1 history, his ability to provide technical feedback is vital for a team that lacks a long historical data set. His career, spanning 15 seasons and 284 starts, has seen him move through Sauber, McLaren, Force India, and Racing Point before his stint at Red Bull.

The partnership with Valtteri Bottas creates one of the most experienced driver pairings on the grid. Both drivers have a track record of winning races and managing championships, which provides Cadillac with a stable foundation as they tackle what Pérez has described as the “biggest challenge” of closing the gap to the rest of the field.

Sergio Pérez: Career Snapshot

As the 2026 season progresses, the narrative for Pérez will be whether he can reclaim the “smooth operator” form that made him a fan favorite and a title contender. For now, the objective is incremental gain.

The next major checkpoint for the team will be the implementation of the upgrade package at the Miami Grand Prix, where Cadillac will look to turn their recent momentum into actual championship points.

Do you think Cadillac’s experience-heavy driver lineup will be enough to push them into the midfield this year? Let us know in the comments.