‘I have no doubt about his pace’ – Wheatley insists Perez can still deliver in F1 amid Cadillac reports

Sergio Perez was born with natural speed and still has what it takes to deliver in Formula 1, according to his former Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley.

Perez and Red Bull agreed to part ways at the end of last season, having spent four campaigns together, with the Mexican taking some time out to assess his options before deciding he wanted a return to F1 if he could find the right project.

The 35-year-old has been in contact with several teams, including newcomers Cadillac – who are making their F1 debut next season – and Alpine.

Cadillac, who are led by Team Principal Graeme Lowdon, are evaluating their drivers for next season, with the American outfit believed to be edging towards taking experience.

Perez has that in bucketfuls and is one of the favourites for a seat – along with Valtteri Bottas – with the Mexican having scored six wins, 39 points and a runner-up spot in the Drivers' Standings in 2023.

When asked about what he made of Perez's ambitions to return to the sport next season, Wheatley told F1.com: "Firstly, I really enjoyed working with Checo. He's a great personality, great attitude to life, full stop.

"I have no doubt about his pace and his speed. It's been natural since the beginning.

"He put in some tremendous drives at my former team and I don't think it's much of a barrier that he's had a bit of time off between driving a Formula 1 car because when you know how to do that, you know how to do it."

Perez left Red Bull despite having two years still left on his contract following a difficult season where he was comfortably outperformed by team mate and reigning World Champion Max Verstappen.

Since his departure, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have struggled to get performance out of the car in that seat – which have gone some way to putting Perez's struggles in 2024 into context.

Wheatley spoke highly of former Sauber and Force India racer Perez's ability to galvanise a team, highlighting how he pushed people inside the squad, including Wheatley, to be better during their time at Red Bull.

"I spent a lot of time with him early on because I wanted to get to know him and I wanted him to adjust to the team," added Wheatley. "What I really liked was he pushed me in my sporting role – pushed me very, very hard.

"He made me question whether I was putting every bit of effort in, not that he was criticising but he would challenge you in a positive way and I enjoyed it.

"I think it helped motivate me to become better at my job and I'd like to think maybe it was reciprocal and the work that we did together made him better at his."

He added: "He's fully focused on performance and what do you want from a driver?"

Cadillac are continuing to evaluate their options for their two race seats in 2026, with sources suggesting they have shrunk their shortlist down to just a handful. Talks with relevant parties will continue in the coming weeks.