The Mexican returns to Baku, where he has two victories and five podiums, the best record on the grid. However the team has reduced the development of the MAC-26 to focus on next year's car and on solving its reliability.
Sergio Pérez faces the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a mix of excitement and realism. The Mexican driver returns this week to the circuit that has treated him best throughout his career in Formula 1, the Baku street layout where he has achieved two victories and five podiums. However he does so with a Cadillac that has already stopped evolving to focus all its efforts on the 2027 project, a circumstance that limits his options to shine at the Azerbaijani circuit.
Marcin Budkowski, head of the American team, confirmed that the flow of updates for the MAC-26 will be significantly reduced in the last races of the season. Cadillac's priority is next year's car and part of the resources have also been allocated to solving the reliability problems that have weighed down the team in its debut campaign, it is an understandable strategic decision for a team that is still building its structure but that leaves Pérez without the tools to fight for outstanding results.
The Mexican driver himself expressed his frustration at the team's stagnation: "We haven't been developing or improving" Pérez noted when analyzing the performance of the last races. The man from Guadalajara acknowledged that the car has not evolved at the expected rate which has left Cadillac in a complicated position in the fight for points; despite this Budkowski assured that there is still room for improvement through greater reliability, better operations on track and more precise execution in aspects such as strategy, tire management and pit stops.
The Baku circuit represents a special opportunity for Pérez, the Mexican won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2021 and 2023 and finished second in 2022, he also climbed to the third step of the podium in 2016, when the race was held as the European Grand Prix and repeated the third place in 2018. With those five results among the top three, Pérez is the driver with the most podiums in the history of the Azerbaijani layout; he also shares with Max Verstappen the record of wins, with two victories for each.
The challenge for Pérez will be to transfer that historical dominance to a car that has not yet scored points in the season. Cadillac's best result is still Valtteri Bottas's thirteenth place in China, a fact that reflects the team's difficulties in its debut year; despite the limitations the Mexican trusts in his experience and in his knowledge of the circuit to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself.
The Baku calendar also presents a particularity: the first two practice sessions will be held on Thursday, September 24, while the third session and qualifying will take place on Friday, September 25. The race, agreed at 51 laps, will be held on Saturday, September 26 because Sunday commemorates Remembrance Day in Azerbaijan, an unusual format that adds an extra element of difficulty for all the teams.
Pérez will seek that his return to the most favorable scenario of his career allows Cadillac to get closer to the long-awaited points before the car's development becomes completely focused on 2027. The season is coming to an end and the Mexican wants to close it with a positive result that reinforces his morale and that of the team ahead of next year.
