Cadillac Method 1 govt engineering marketing consultant Pat Symonds has defended Sergio Perez, arguing that the dangerous press the Mexican driver has obtained in recent times is “undeserved”.
The American outfit joins the F1 grid in 2026 after gaining entry because the eleventh group. It comes with the skilled driver line-up of former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and former Pink Bull driver Sergio Perez.
Previous to leaving Pink Bull on the finish of the 2024 season, Perez confronted intense scrutiny as he raced alongside four-time champion Max Verstappen. Whereas the Dutchman thrived within the floor impact period and with the Pink Bull equipment, Perez struggled to extract the identical stage of efficiency from the automotive.
With that stated, Pink Bull has not discovered a long-term driver for its second seat since Perez’s exit. Liam Lawson took the 36-year-old driver’s place for the beginning of 2025 however discovered himself demoted to Racing Bulls after simply two race weekends, and whereas Yuki Tsunoda took the seat for the rest of 2025, he has since been changed by Isack Hadjar for 2026.
“Nicely, after all, I labored with Valtteri earlier than, at Williams,” Symonds advised the media on the primary day of pre-season testing in Bahrain. “I actually favored working with him. Very competent driver, very quick driver, superb suggestions.
Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Photos by way of Getty Photos
“I did not know Checo, so it was actually good, even in that first simulator session, to hearken to what he needed to say. I used to be very impressed. Checo’s had some dangerous press within the final couple of years and to me it is undeserved.
“He is a really competent driver, he is gained races, he is aware of what he is doing. And with Zhou as nicely, he is aware of our reserve driver. Once more, actually, actually good suggestions within the simulator.
“Actually good work ethic, he is sitting in each briefing, he is aware of precisely what is going on on. We have an incredible line-up there, I feel.”
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