After a difficult weekend in Austria, Sergio Perez heads to Silverstone convinced that the British Grand Prix will provide Cadillac with one of its biggest tests of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Mexican believes the famous circuit will offer a much clearer picture of the team’s progress while also serving as an important benchmark for the new generation of Formula 1 cars.
Perez also reflected on the problems that emerged at the Red Bull Ring, the work Cadillac is doing to solve them, and the increasingly important role of the budget cap at a crucial stage of the team’s development programme.
Silverstone will be the real test for the 2026 regulations
According to Sergio Perez, Silverstone will provide the first genuine opportunity to evaluate the impact of the changes introduced after the Miami Grand Prix. The circuits visited since then have not fully exposed the strengths and weaknesses of the 2026 Formula 1 cars in the same way the high-speed British venue is expected to do.
“I think everything will be very different compared to the past. At the last few circuits we haven’t really felt the impact of the new regulations, but here I think we’ll notice it a lot. Silverstone could be the most important test we’ve had since the changes introduced in Miami.”
The Mexican explained that the British circuit highlights one of the most delicate aspects of the 2026 Formula 1 cars: energy management: “There are very few heavy braking zones here, so there isn’t much energy recovery over the course of a lap. Because of that, I think we’ll learn a lot as early as FP1.”
Engine configuration and energy deployment will therefore become decisive factors throughout the weekend: “Everything will depend on how the engines are configured because there’s a lot you can do with energy management. We’ll need to understand where it’s best to recover energy and where it’s more beneficial to deploy it.”
Perez expects driving techniques to change significantly compared to previous years due to the characteristics of the new power units.
“We could find ourselves in a situation where taking a corner slightly slower actually produces a faster lap time. Delaying throttle application and managing the energy more efficiently will be crucial.”
Austria’s brake problems are understood, but development remains the priority
Perez described the Austrian Grand Prix as one of Cadillac’s most difficult weekends of the season.
“The team has worked around the clock to understand the problems we experienced. We already have a good idea of what went wrong and what caused those failures.”
The Mexican is optimistic that the issues seen at Spielberg are unlikely to be repeated immediately, partly because Silverstone places very different demands on the cars: “Austria is probably one of the toughest circuits on the brakes, together with Mexico City. We knew it would be a challenge and unfortunately it became a very frustrating weekend for the whole team. Here it’s almost the complete opposite. It’s probably the easiest circuit of the year for the brakes, which at least allows us to approach the weekend with a bit more confidence.”
Even so, Sergio Perez confirmed that Cadillac continues to work intensively at the factory to eliminate the brake problems that resulted in both cars retiring after only a handful of laps in Austria. Silverstone will also be an important opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of Cadillac’s recent aerodynamic upgrades.
“We need to understand exactly where we are in terms of downforce, especially at high speed.”
Perez also highlighted the link between reliability issues and development work.
“The upgrades seem to be working and we’re continuing to find more performance. The problem is that we need track time to collect data, and in Austria we lost a huge amount of valuable running. When these kinds of problems appear, you’re forced to spend time and resources fixing them instead of focusing entirely on development. It’s a situation that slows down our progress.”
Perez: “I’ve got my confidence back”
Perez described Cadillac as a team that is still very much in the process of building its Formula 1 project.
“Joining a new team means facing enormous challenges, but at the same time it brings great opportunities. We have many experienced people who have already been through situations like this before.”
With only six Grands Prix completed, the emphasis remains on strengthening every part of the organisation: “We’re only at our sixth race and everyone in the team wants to see progress in every area. We’re building our organisation and there are many challenges still ahead. We’re entering a critical phase. The next two or three months will be fundamental for the future of the team because we’ll have to make important decisions regarding next year’s car.”
On a personal level, Sergio Perez says he is extremely satisfied with his performances since returning to Formula 1: “I’m very happy with the level I’m performing at. Both in qualifying and in the races I’ve been consistent, and I feel I’ve completely regained my confidence.”
He admitted that confidence had disappeared during the final months of his previous spell in Formula 1 with Red Bull.
“The confidence I lost during my last six months with my previous team has completely returned. I genuinely believe I’m driving at a very high level again. When you feel completely at one with the car and with the team, all your confidence comes back. You know you’re capable of delivering your maximum. Race pace is still one of my biggest strengths. Qualifying has been good, but it’s over a race distance where I still feel I make the biggest difference.”
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