A dangerous suspension failure forced Sergio Pérez out of Montreal, exposing Cadillac's steep learning curve as they balance high-stakes reliability with the veteran's lucrative contract.
Sergio Pérez was forced to retire from the Canadian Grand Prix after a mechanical failure on his Cadillac made it impossible — and potentially dangerous — to continue. The issue turned out to be a broken suspension arm, a failure that could have caused a serious incident had the team not brought the car in.
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon spoke to Motorsport.com about the retirement and described it as a combination of factors rather than a single isolated failure — one that the team does not expect to repeat. He characterized the sequence of events as unusual.
The person at the front of the Cadillac project in F1 also acknowledged that, with hindsight, it could have been prevented. Lowdon was honest about the broader context, noting that the Canadian GP was only the team's fifth Grand Prix weekend.
Cadillac is still working through a wide range of scenarios and operational challenges that more established teams have been managing for decades. He was clear, however, that the team is making real progress — not just in raw pace, but in how accurately it can predict the effects of updates and in the precision of its race-day operations.
What Is Checo Pérez's Salary at Cadillac?
Sergio Pérez's financial terms with Cadillac have also drawn significant attention. According to PlanetF1.com, the Mexican signed a multi-year deal with a base salary believed to be in the region of ten million dollars — broadly equivalent to his final contract at Red Bull Racing.
Beyond the base salary, his deal includes performance bonuses tied to championship standings, podium finishes, and race victories. His earnings are also supplemented by a share of official merchandise sales — a clause that carries real commercial weight, given that Pérez was reportedly responsible for over 60% of Red Bull's online merchandise revenue during his time there.
Cadillac, according to the same report, was drawn to Pérez primarily on merit as a racing driver — valuing his ability at the wheel above the commercial and sponsorship value he brings, even though that side of the equation is substantial. However, sponsorship issues play an increasingly important role in the decisions teams make about the contracts they award to riders.
However, it should also be noted that it has been demonstrated multiple times that there are drivers who, even with multimillion-dollar sponsors, do not perform on the track; the teams know that it is unsustainable to keep them on the team despite the income they receive.
