Sergio Perez insists: 2026 will be “one of my best years” in Formula 1!

Sergio Perez sees 2026 as one of his strongest years personally, even though he has yet to score a single point with Cadillac

Even though the 2026 Formula 1 season is statistically by far the worst of his career, Sergio Perez takes a completely different view when it comes to his own performance: “No, not at all,” the Mexican dismisses the question of whether he would regard 2026 as his worst season.

Perez is driving for the new Cadillac team this year, having been forced to take a break in 2025 after being shown the door at Red Bull. However, the newcomer is struggling in his debut year and has yet to score a single point.

That is unlikely to change in the final six races of the season, unless something extraordinary happens. Up until now, Perez had scored points in every one of his Formula 1 seasons, and had only once scored fewer than 49 points: in his rookie season in 2011, when he scored 14 points with Sauber.

Naturally, therefore, “in terms of results”, this is the veteran driver’s worst season. “But I believe that people who understand this sport can see the standard at which I’m driving, the standard I’ve maintained and the performance I’ve shown”.

“They can appreciate what a strong year I’ve had.”

The internal team comparison with Valtteri Bottas

The only real comparison actually comes from the duel with his equally experienced team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who joined Cadillac under similar circumstances after a year’s break.

In qualifying, the two drivers are fairly evenly matched, with Perez currently leading 9–8. In race duels, however, the balance tips decisively in favour of the Mexican at 11–4, although many of these duels were decided by one driver retiring. In the seven races in which both drivers finished, Perez finished ahead of Bottas on six occasions.

However, in the one race where the outcome was different, Bottas secured 13th place, which means he currently lies ahead of Perez in the overall standings.

“Undoubtedly one of my best years”

For Perez, it is important to take into account all the circumstances of this debut year when assessing his performance: for the first time, he had to lead and build a project from scratch – with a car that has undergone various revisions since the first race to resolve reliability issues.

He has now matured into a leading figure within the team, steering its development and competing in the midfield whenever the car allows. “Ultimately, in Formula 1, whether you can achieve great things depends heavily on the car,” he says.

“At the end of the day, we have people in the team who understand this sport very well – first and foremost my team – and they know exactly what level I’m operating at.”

When asked how he would rate the 2026 season compared to other periods of his career, he therefore says: “I consider it one of my best years. Without a doubt: in terms of self-confidence, driving standard, decision-making and leadership qualities, it’s undoubtedly one of my best years.”

“I’m part of something extremely important and fundamental within a new project. My voice carries a lot of weight here, and I think that also brings with it a great deal of responsibility as a racing driver.”