Amid sabbatical, F1 'doors open' for Sergio Perez

Mar.31 (GMM) Sergio Perez has strongly hinted that he intends to return to Formula 1.

F1 legend Mario Andretti, an advisor to the all-new Cadillac team for 2026, revealed in the last few days that the ousted Red Bull driver is an “option”.

For now, 35-year-old Perez – not only a highly experienced grand prix winner but strongly backed by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim’s companies – is enjoying his sabbatical.

“I have six months,” he told Prodynamics. “I gave myself six months to see what options I have and decide what the next step in my career is.

“The doors are open in many places,” Perez added. “Today I have the opportunity to decide what I want with my career. What comes next is important, so I want to give myself the time and space to make the best decision.”

Despite his recent struggles alongside Max Verstappen, Perez’s stock has suddenly risen given that his successor – Liam Lawson – was ousted after just two races, having been the slowest driver overall in Shanghai.

“I mean, for certain races last year, Sergio is now looking like a magician,” former F1 driver Mark Webber, who is Chinese GP winner Oscar Piastri’s manager, told Formula For Success.

Fox Sports claims negotiations between Cadillac and Perez are “already underway”.

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko revealed last Friday that, amid the team’s deliberations about whether to axe Lawson, he was in contact with Perez – ostensibly to discuss “tequila”.

As for Cadillac, Andretti also admitted that another Mexican – Indycar frontrunner Pato O’Ward – is another option, even though the team may need to “fight” to extricate him from his contract with McLaren.