Cadillac's Sergio Pérez on Red Bull exit: 'Nothing to prove'

After being named as one of Cadillac's two drivers for 2026, Sergio Pérez said he "couldn't afford" to let his Formula 1 career end with his sacking from Red Bull last year.

The 35-year-old was announced as half of Cadillac's driver lineup, alongside Valtteri Bottas, for its debut season in F1 next year.

After a disappointing run of results in 2024, Pérez was cut from Red Bull at the end of last season despite holding a two-year contract with the team.

His performance has since been put into context by the struggles of the two drivers drafted in as his replacement this year -- Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda -- and Pérez said it was important to him not to end his career on such a low.

"To me, it's more about coming back to enjoy the sport," Pérez said. "I want to enjoy the sport, the sport that I love, the sport that has given me so much.

"I couldn't afford to leave [F1] the way I left the sport [last year], you know? And this is why I'm coming back with this new project. And yeah, I hope it's a very successful one.

"But amongst that, more than anything, I want to enjoy, to enjoy this comeback."

Pérez scored just 152 points compared with teammate Max Verstappen's 437 in 2024, but this year the second Red Bull car has scored just seven points from the first 14 races.

Asked whether he felt the struggles of Lawson, who lasted for just two races as Pérez's replacement, and Tsunoda, who has also fallen short of Verstappen's performances, meant he had nothing to prove in his comeback, the Mexican added: "I feel like there's nothing to prove, you know, not just because of the current drivers or the next drivers that were on my seat, but even before that, you know, now everyone forgets about it.

"But it's been a very tricky place to be in, you know, to constantly be adapting, to build confidence, mentally it's a very unique challenge. And yeah, I don't think I have anything to prove, you know, when you see, like, the amount of points that they've scored, it's like five points in the entire season. So I think I've got nothing to prove in that regard."

Cadillac joins the grid as F1's 11th team next year and has a short amount of time to prepare for its debut race in Australia next March.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon has played down expectations ahead of the team's entry onto the grid, and Pérez said he was under no illusions about Cadillac's potential in its first season.

"It's important to reset my targets from the past," the six-time race winner added. "But also, I'm here to progress together with the team.

"I'm sure that we're going to start in a very difficult position, but to me, it's not where we start, it's how quickly we manage to progress. That's the main thing.

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"I know racing drivers can get desperate. It's very easy to say it, but once you are in the grid for 24 races and you're fighting at the back, desperation can come. But to me, the main thing I'm here for is to make progress together with the team and to enjoy the ride because at this point of my career, let's say that one trophy more, one less, it's irrelevant.

"I want to be able to enjoy the ride, but also just give my very best every single weekend. And if I'm able to do that for 24 weekends, then I'll be really happy."