Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar has suggested that Sergio Perez will return to Formula One in 2026, revealing that there was “something going on.” Perez parted ways with Red Bull after the 2024 season and is reported to be in talks with the Cadillac F1 team.
Red Bull parted ways with the Mexican driver after losing out on Constructors’ Championship victory last year. Perez faced significant challenges with the RB20, given the balance problems on the car, which also affected Max Verstappen.
Perez has been away from F1 since his departure, but his links to Cadillac are pretty strong. The 35-year-old driver revealed in a recent interview that he would return to F1 only if a project suited his preferences, and most importantly, he would only return as a full-time driver.
Cadillac F1 received the Formula One Management’s (FOM) approval to join the sport early this year, and the American outfit has since been gearing up for its 2026 debut on the premier class grid. Team principal Graeme Lowdon has confirmed that ongoing discussions are taking place with Perez.
Now, Hadjar, who races for the Red Bull junior F1 team, has admitted that many “positives” lie ahead for Perez in 2026. Speaking to the media, he said:
“He’s definitely F1 calibre, that’s for sure, and I hear a lot of positives for him next year.
“So it’s looking like there’s something going on. He’s done pretty well next to Max [Verstappen].”
Former Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who moved to Sauber this year as team principal, has praised Perez while highlighting his support during their time at Red Bull. Wheatley stated that Perez was fully focused on his performance, a trait that mattered most to a team. Newsweek Sports reported:
“Firstly, I really enjoyed working with Checo. He’s a great personality, great attitude to life, full stop. I have no doubt about his pace and his speed. It’s been natural since the beginning.
“He put in some tremendous drives at my former team and I don’t think it’s much of a barrier that he’s had a bit of time off between driving a Formula 1 car because when you know how to do that, you know how to do it.
“I spent a lot of time with him early on because I wanted to get to know him and I wanted him to adjust to the team. What I really liked was he pushed me in my sporting role – pushed me very, very hard.
“He made me question whether I was putting every bit of effort in, not that he was criticising but he would challenge you in a positive way and I enjoyed it.
“I think it helped motivate me to become better at my job and I’d like to think maybe it was reciprocal and the work that we did together made him better at his.”
He added:
“He’s fully focused on performance and what do you want from a driver?”
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