Sergio Pérez completed his first qualifying session on his return to Formula 1 with Cadillac.
The Mexican driver took part in Q1 of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix and finished in 18th position, beating his teammate Valtteri Bottas by 0.361 seconds and just one position.
Along with the American team's drivers, Fernando Alonso was eliminated. Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz did not participate in the session, remaining at the back of the grid.
Max Verstappen, after suffering a hard crash on his first flying lap, finished in 20th place with no time recorded.
For now, the result of Sergio Pérez’s first qualifying session with Cadillac Formula 1 Team may appear modest on paper, but it represents only the very beginning of a much larger story. Building a competitive Formula 1 program from the ground up is a complex process that rarely produces immediate results, especially when a team is still adapting to the demands of the sport’s highest level. What matters more in the early stages is the data collected, the feedback from the driver, and the gradual understanding of how the car behaves under real race-weekend pressure. With a long season ahead and development expected across multiple races, the true measure of this partnership may not be defined by one qualifying session, but by how quickly Cadillac and Pérez can transform early lessons into progress on track.
READ MORE:
How many years does Checo Pérez have left on his contract with Cadillac?
Sergio Pérez returned to Formula 1 with Cadillac, and one of the biggest questions on fans' minds is the length of his contract, as this could be his last team before retirement.
According to information from Diego Mejía, a renowned motorsports journalist, the Jalisco-born driver will be on the track for quite some time: "Checo has said that he has two years with Cadillac. His contract, as far as I know, is a 2+1, two with conditions for a third.
He has also said that he plans to stay as long as necessary to reap the rewards and that he is not setting a deadline for his last big project," they reported.
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