SERGIO PEREZ stated he has nothing left to prove and simply wants to rediscover his enjoyment of racing following Cadillac’s announcement of his Formula One comeback.
The 35 year old Mexican has been absent from competition since Red Bull terminated his contract early after a challenging 2024 season.
Perez expressed his enthusiasm for the Cadillac project during a video call with reporters alongside his new teammate Valtteri Bottas.
“My main target is to enjoy it again,“ Perez told reporters. “I want to get back to the enjoyment and this project just brings me that excitement back.”
He emphasized that his previous departure from the sport felt unfinished and motivated his return.
“I couldn’t afford to leave the way I left the sport, you know, and this is why I’m coming back with this new project.”
Perez finished the 2024 season 285 points behind his four time world champion teammate Max Verstappen.
He remained the only driver from the top four teams who failed to secure a race victory that year.
Verstappen has worked with two different teammates since Perez’s departure from Red Bull.
The Dutch driver has accumulated 187 of Red Bull’s total 194 points from 14 races this season.
Red Bull has also replaced team principal Christian Horner during this period.
Perez noted the performance of his replacements at Red Bull when discussing his own capabilities.
“When you see the amount of points they’ve scored… I don’t think I’ve got anything to prove in that regard,“ said Perez.
Bottas confirmed that their partnership would focus on collaboration rather than competition.
“We’re here to work together. We don’t need to prove anything to each other,“ said the 10 time race winner.
The former Mercedes driver finished as championship runner-up to Lewis Hamilton multiple times during his career.
“I have respect for Checo, I know he’s got respect for me, so we are in this together and really trying to guide the team forward and give everything to the team.”
Bottas revealed he had been discussing his involvement with Cadillac principal Graeme Lowdon for approximately two years.
He acknowledged the significant challenges ahead for the new team.
Bottas described the task facing them as “a mountain of work to do” with a potentially difficult beginning.
“But we’re not there to stay at the back, we don’t want to finish last and I believe with this structure and group, these people, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to get relatively quickly up the pace and enjoy some success,“ he added. – Reuters