Sergio Perez Rejects Andretti’s "Rusty" Assessment Amidst Cadillac’s Formative F1 Season

Sergio Perez has publicly refuted motorsport legend Mario Andretti’s assertion that his performance upon returning to Formula 1 with Cadillac is hampered by "rustiness," instead maintaining that he is operating at an exceptionally high level despite the nascent team’s inherent challenges. The Mexican driver, a six-time Grand Prix winner, attributes his and teammate Valtteri Bottas’s early-season struggles not to individual form, but to the limitations of Cadillac’s brand-new MAC-26 chassis and the typical teething issues faced by an F1 debutant.

Perez’s return to the pinnacle of motorsport in 2026 followed a significant career shift. After an "extremely poor season" in 2024, which led to his departure from Red Bull Racing, Perez took a sabbatical year away from competitive F1 driving. His comeback was announced with great anticipation, as he joined Cadillac, a new constructor making its Formula 1 debut in the 2026 season. Cadillac’s entry, championed in part by the iconic Mario Andretti, represented a bold American venture into the sport.

The initial three rounds of the 2026 season have indeed presented a formidable challenge for the Cadillac team. Despite the considerable investment and ambition, the American outfit was widely anticipated to begin its F1 journey as a backmarker. This expectation has largely materialized, with the MAC-26 chassis currently estimated to be two to three seconds off the pace of the frontrunners. The team has also grappled with various technical faults and reliability concerns in these formative races, resulting in zero points for Perez and his Finnish teammate, Valtteri Bottas, thus far.

However, amidst these predictable difficulties, Cadillac has managed to secure a minor, yet notable, positive: they currently sit above Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship standings, a testament to the unpredictable nature of early-season F1 or perhaps Aston Martin’s own unforeseen struggles.

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Mario Andretti, the 1978 Formula 1 World Champion and a pivotal figure in the conceptualization and establishment of the Cadillac F1 project—even inspiring the MAC-26 chassis designation—expressed his perspective on the performance of both Perez and Bottas. Bottas, like Perez, also returned to a full-time F1 seat in 2026 following his exit from Sauber at the end of 2024 and a subsequent sabbatical.

Speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast, Andretti offered a candid assessment: "To be honest with you, I think they’re both just a little bit rusty." He elaborated on his reasoning, suggesting that the time spent out of the cockpit, combined with the complexities of adapting to a completely new car and team, was a significant factor. "They’ve both been out of the cockpit for at least one season. With the new package and everything else, they’re being very careful just to participate and not set anything back by maybe going out there and creating more work that’s needed." Andretti’s remarks highlight the immense challenge of re-acclimatizing to the elite demands of Formula 1 after a break, especially within a fledgling team.

Perez, however, presented a differing viewpoint ahead of last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. He unequivocally dismissed the "rusty" label, emphasizing his belief in his current driving capabilities. "To be honest, I think we’ve been performing on a very high level," the Mexican driver stated, directly countering Andretti’s assessment. Perez argued that the inherent speed deficit of the MAC-26 and external race incidents have masked his true performance.

Providing specific examples from the opening rounds, Perez detailed the difficulties encountered. Regarding the season-opening Melbourne Grand Prix, he commented, "I was very happy with my weekend in Melbourne, my first qualifying, I was quite happy with it." However, he quickly pointed to mitigating circumstances in the race itself: "In the race, we had very different scenarios, we had a lot of damage. So it hasn’t been really straightforward." The subsequent round in Shanghai presented similar obstacles. "Shanghai wasn’t a straightforward weekend, I had a lot of damage in the race," Perez recounted, implying that external factors, rather than a lack of personal pace, were the primary contributors to his unrewarded efforts.

Perez maintained that his personal adaptation to the new machinery has been swift and effective. "I haven’t had a complete weekend let’s say, but I think in terms of my performance, I’m fairly happy with it. Coming back and straight away, I was on the pace within a couple of days. I believe I’m in a good place in regards to driving," he asserted, projecting confidence in his current form.

The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka offered a glimmer of improvement and further substantiated Perez’s claims of adapting to the Cadillac. Following the race, Perez expressed a more upbeat sentiment, having completed a Grand Prix distance on the lead lap for the first time in the 2026 season. Furthermore, the Suzuka weekend saw Perez achieve his smallest deficit to the fastest car in Q1 qualifying, recording a gap of 2.171 seconds. This marked a notable improvement compared to his Q1 deficits of 3.098 seconds in Melbourne and 3.601 seconds in Shanghai, indicating a steady, albeit incremental, narrowing of the performance gap and a more comfortable integration with the car.

Perez also provided insights into the car’s relative performance during the race, noting his observations while competing against other midfield runners. "It was quite interesting. When I was following – I was racing at the time the Williams, the Alpine – I could see that they’re not too far away, they’re just able to consistently keep finding pace and pace and pace," he explained, suggesting that while the absolute speed is lacking, the MAC-26 might not be as far off the lower midfield as the initial time sheets suggest, and that consistent development could bring them into contention.

The Formula 1 calendar now enters an unexpected April break before the fourth round in Miami next month. This hiatus was necessitated by the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grands Prix, originally scheduled for early in the season, due to the ongoing conflict and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East region. This unforeseen break provides Cadillac with additional time for development and preparation, a factor Perez hopes the team will capitalize on.

Looking ahead to the upcoming Miami Grand Prix, Perez articulated the team’s immediate priorities and aspirations. "It’s clear that we need a second now and I really hope that we are bringing a big upgrade for Miami," he stated, underlining the urgency for performance enhancements. He identified the Miami event as a critical benchmark for the team’s progress. "I think that will be the biggest test for the team," he added.

Perez highlighted the positive trajectory of Cadillac’s development efforts, despite the challenging start. "We’ve been progressing every Grand Prix," he remarked. He also noted the relative smoothness of the Suzuka weekend compared to previous outings, stating, "This is the first Grand Prix that more or less everything has been straightforward, apart from the deployment issues I had yesterday, everything has been straightforward." This suggests a gradual improvement in operational efficiency and reliability, crucial for a new team.

Ultimately, Perez conveyed the team’s overarching objective for the near future: "So, yes, I really hope that we can make that step to be in the mix with the midfield." His comments underscore Cadillac’s ambition to move beyond the backmarker status and begin competing more directly with established teams in the competitive Formula 1 midfield, a goal they aim to advance significantly with the planned upgrades for the Miami Grand Prix. The debate between driver form and car performance remains central to Cadillac’s narrative as they navigate their inaugural F1 season.

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Jonas Leo

Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.

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