Feb.10 (GMM) Sergio Perez admits Formula 1’s newest team could face a tough debut season, but insists Cadillac would be deeply disappointed to end 2026 at the back of the grid.
Speaking to Reuters after Cadillac unveiled its striking black-and-white, asymmetric livery during a Super Bowl commercial, the returning Mexican was clear that expectations extend beyond simply showing up.
“We are definitely not having that mindset,” said Sergio Perez, when asked about the prospect of finishing last. “Not with the level of investment that has been put in place.
“We will definitely be very disappointed to finish last. We know we will not win the championship for sure, but we definitely want to make a lot of progress and beat a couple of teams.”
Cadillac, backed by General Motors, will enter Formula 1 as the 11th team in 2026, running customer Ferrari power units. Despite heavy recruitment from established outfits, paddock rumours suggest both Cadillac and Audi – the two newcomers to the new engine era – are currently among the slowest packages.
Perez, 36, returns to the grid after a year out following his departure from Red Bull at the end of 2024, and described the new project as a familiar environment.
“It feels like getting the band back together,” he said, noting that his race engineer will be Carlo Pasetti, who previously worked with him at Racing Point.
“This is a team that has recruited people from basically all the teams that I’ve been with,” Perez added. “I think this team, this structure, has the capacity to go a very long way in the sport. It’s going to become a very important team in the future of Formula 1.”
Teammate Valtteri Bottas agreed that expectations should be measured, even as Cadillac made a bold statement off track with its Super Bowl commercial launch, expected to have reached more than 120 million viewers.
“I’m prepared that it could be a tough start,” Bottas admitted. “And I don’t mind if we don’t start in a great way. Of course I want to. But if we don’t, then that’s where we are.”