After a bruising exit from Red Bull, Sergio Pérez finds his self-belief restored at Cadillac, proving that his previous struggles stemmed from environment rather than lost talent.
Statements published by PlanetF1 during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend offered a revealing glimpse into Sergio Pérez's state of mind since joining Cadillac. The Mexican driver made clear just how much the move has meant to him — both professionally and personally — after an exit from Red Bull that left deep marks.
Pérez acknowledged that his final months at Red Bull had been bruising for his confidence. He reflected that anyone looking purely at those last six months in Milton Keynes would not come away thinking he was among the best drivers on the grid.
He admitted that the difficulties he experienced during that period had genuinely undermined his self-belief. Also he pointed to a telling moment during a pre-season test session, when he had the chance to drive a Ferrari.
He said he found his pace within ten laps despite having been out of the car for some time, and that led him to question whether his struggles at Red Bull were really about his ability — or simply the circumstances surrounding him. His performances over the most recent three or four race weekends had given him a new answer.
Pérez felt that the level he had shown in qualifying, in races, and in raw race pace confirmed that he had always possessed the necessary speed. He reflected that many drivers go through periods where they begin to doubt themselves, convinced they may have lost what made them competitive — but that the truth often comes down to the environment they're in.
How did Sergio Pérez leave Red Bull?
Pérez's time at Red Bull came to an end after the 2024 season. The team opted to replace him with Liam Lawson for 2025, making the New Zealander the fifth driver to partner Max Verstappen at the outfit. The decision followed a difficult campaign for Pérez, who finished eighth in the Drivers' Championship while Verstappen wrapped up the title with several rounds still to go.
He was also the driver who accumulated the most car damage throughout the season, and Red Bull finished third in the Constructors' Championship — a significant drop that cost the team a substantial amount in prize money. The cracks had been visible since 2023, when Pérez began struggling to keep pace with Verstappen in the second half of the year.
He typically started campaigns strongly, but his form would fade as the season progressed. Following his Red Bull exit, Pérez confirmed his return to the grid with Cadillac for the 2026 World Championship.
It capped an unlikely second chapter at the team that had signed him at the end of 2020, when his career had seemed to be heading toward the exit. In four seasons, he claimed five victories, helped Red Bull win the Constructors' titles in 2022 and 2023, played a key role in Verstappen's first world championship in 2021, claimed the runner-up spot in the 2023 Drivers' standings, and scored a historic victory at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix.
