After leaving his seat at Red Bull first to Liam Lawson and then to Yuki Tsunoda, Sergio Pérez has been looking for a new life outside the paddock to return to the circuits. Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez now believes that, despite everything, his time in Formula 1 is not over. And now his future could lie with… Alpine.
Sergio Pérez has not stopped moving and is now also knocking on Alpine’s door for 2026
Yes, being fired from Red Bull was a big blow, perhaps too big. But the fact that he has not found a seat for 2025 (also given the timing of it all) does not mean that the Mexican has given up on driving the fastest cars in the world.
That’s why, as soon as it was announced that Cadillac had been confirmed as a new team, the Mexican has been knocking on doors to become the new driver for the General Motors team, which will join F1 in 2026.
However, it has now been revealed that the former Red Bull driver is in talks with other teams. According to information published by The Race, “there have been initial talks about a possible seat in Formula 1 next season” between Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez and Alpine. This news would shake the foundations of the current grid.
This is because, just a few days ago, Alpine announced that Franco Colapinto will be its driver in 2025, replacing Jack Doohan for at least the next five races of the World Championship. He will do so alongside Pierre Gasly.
However, even if this were to happen, the place that the six-time Grand Prix winner would occupy would presumably be the one just secured by the Argentine driver. In any case, it cannot be ruled out that this is a strategy to negotiate with Cadillac.
In fact, the British media outlet claims that Sergio Pérez even explored the possibility of joining Alpine this season, but Briatore was not in a position to negotiate with everything that was happening at Enstone.
Briatore is looking for sponsors for Alpine… and has already secured Franco Colapinto’s
Alpine is undergoing a restructuring process following changes in management over the last two years, the most recent of which was the departure of Oliver Oakes, with Flavio Briatore taking over as team principal. The Italian is looking for a significant amount of funding and, with the promotion of Franco Colapinto, has secured the support of new sponsors, a situation that could be replicated with Pérez if an agreement is reached.
In any case, as we said, there is a possibility that no agreement will ultimately be reached between Sergio Pérez and Alpine, and that this is simply a way of telling Cadillac that he will not wait forever for a decision from the Americans. And if they decide to delay it further, I would bet everything on his attempt to join Alpine, where he would also be joined by the significant sponsorship deals that Sergio Pérez brings with him.
Because although some of the driver’s sponsors had already decided to leave racing before the crisis with Red Bull, the Mexican retains a significant number of personal supporters, including Carlos Slim Domit, a member of the family that ranks 19th on the Forbes billionaire list.
Cadillac remains the most feasible option for Sergio Pérez
In fact, despite these rumors, Cadillac is still the favorite to sign the Guadalajara native. Mario Andretti, the team’s advisor, already indicated at the beginning of the year that Sergio Pérez was an option to consider. The team, in collaboration with General Motors, is still examining other candidates (Bottas, Zhou, Hertha…) before making a final decision, presumably between May and June.
Team boss Graeme Lowdon has already made it clear that there is no rush to decide the Mexican’s future. “Fortunately, we have many quality drivers,” he said in a recent interview. “We have to talk to several options. There are easily half a dozen, or even more, candidates with the necessary credentials to compete or return to Formula 1.” According to Lowdon, there is no rush to choose, given that the team’s entry into Formula 1 is not expected until 2026.