Sergio Perez has ‘nothing to prove’ as Lawson, Tsunoda ‘struggles’ catch the eye
Was it a mistake for Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez?
Sergio Perez says he has nothing to prove upon his return with the Cadillac F1 team in light of the “struggles” of his successors, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, at Red Bull.
Perez announced on Tuesday that he will return to F1 with the incoming Cadillac team next season, with the Mexican driver acting as team-mate to former Mercedes star Valtteri Bottas.
Sergio Perez: Nothing to prove at Cadillac F1 after Red Bull exit
Additional reporting by Mat Coch
Perez was left without a seat for the F1 2025 season after vacating his Red Bull seat at the end of last season, with Liam Lawson installed as his replacement.
Perez’s departure came despite him claiming five of his six career wins with Red Bull and finishing as runner up to team-mate Max Verstappen in the 2023 World Championship standings.
Lawson was demoted by Red Bull after just two races in Australia and China, with Tsunoda scoring just seven points in 12 appearances for Red Bull so far.
The Japanese driver remains without a point since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May.
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Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com on Tuesday, Perez admitted that he could not “afford” to end his F1 career on a downbeat note given the nature of his Red Bull exit.
And he believes the woes of Lawson and Tsunoda this year show that he has nothing to prove with Cadillac next season.
Perez said: “I don’t feel like there’s [anything] to prove.
“Not just because of the struggles of the current drivers or the next drivers that take that seat, but even before that.
“Now everyone forgets about it, but it’s been a very tricky place to be in, to constantly be adapting, to build confidence.
“Mentally, it’s a very unique challenge.
“I don’t think I have anything to prove. When you see the amount of points they’ve scored, it’s [something] like five points in the entire season, so I’ve got nothing to prove in that regard.
“To me, it’s more of a coming back to enjoy the sport. I want to enjoy the sport, the sport that I love, the sport that has given me so much.
“I couldn’t afford to leave the way I left the sport.
“It’s why I’m coming back with this new project and I hope it’s a very successful one.
“But amongst that, other than anything, I want to enjoy this comeback.”
In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Perez’s former boss at the Force India team, Otmar Szafnauer, backed the six-time race winner to make a valuable contribution at Cadillac.
Speaking before Cadillac confirmed the signing of Perez, Szafnauer said: “If he finds the right environment, with all of his experience at both smaller teams with less budget than Red Bull, he definitely has something to offer. He’s got good feedback.
“Especially perhaps, a new team coming in that needs an experienced driver for the first couple of years, Checo [Perez] would be a good addition.”
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