It’s now official, Cadillac is a new Formula 1 team and will be on the grid from next season. The American brand arrives at the big circus with an ambitious project and with the aim of being competitive and able to fight for victories as soon as possible. One of the doubts regarding its drivers has also been resolved. One of the options that was strongly considered was Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez, taking advantage above all of the opportunity to open up a Latin American market for Cadillac. However, the team has already made its decision regarding the first driver and Pérez does not appear to be on the team.
Cadillac is betting on a combination of youth and experience
The team has decided to implement a strategy that combines experience in single-seaters with youth, and the IndyCar driver Colton Herta has been chosen to carry out the project. The choice is not surprising, Herta has been one of the names that have appeared in the orbit of Formula 1 and who have been linked to the top category on more than one occasion. His one-lap performance in timed sessions and his aggressiveness during races are aspects that make Herta a good bet for Cadillac.
Regarding the second seat, the team believes that the best option is to look for a driver with experience in F1 who can lead the development of the car. Although Sergio Pérez has been an attractive candidate, his performance in recent years has raised doubts about his ability to lead the new team. His departure from Red Bull at the end of the 2024 season and his inconsistency in recent years have worked against him. In his place, candidates are being considered who are currently drivers or drivers who have shown a more consistent performance in recent times.
Why did Cadillac rule out Sergio Pérez?
Although the desire of the fans, especially the Mexican fans, was for Pérez to return to the Formula 1 World Championship, the performance of the driver has caused some misgivings within the team. Since 2022, the Mexican has performed well below Max Verstappen and the latter has been getting worse in recent years. From 2023 and 2024, shortly after Max Verstappen began to dominate F1 with Red Bull, Pérez himself faced not only one problem after another in qualifying, but also accidents and an alarming lack of pace compared to his teammate. The driver’s form in recent seasons, coupled with his dismissal from Red Bull, has removed him from the possibility of leading a project.
On the other hand, Cadillac wants to avoid media conflicts, and Pérez has been surrounded by controversy on and off the track: the fans attacked the Austrian team for allegedly failing to support the Mexican driver. Cadillac, as a new team, does not want to get involved in these problems and prefers to bet on less media-friendly drivers within the team.
Cadillac wants to form a competitive team and is determined to incorporate drivers with sports performance rather than media appeal, an indication of its intention to create a serious team from the outset. Checo Pérez’s return to Formula 1 is complicated, as this was one of the bullets he had in the chamber to return to the big circus.