Formula 1 driver Checo Pérez is preparing for “a triumphant return” with Cadillac in 2026

Cadillac will be one of the big new additions to the F1 grid in 2026, and preparations for its arrival are already underway with driver Checo Pérez getting into the swing of things at the wheel of a Ferrari SF-23 at the Imola circuit. The Mexican, together with a Ferrari team that will supply the power unit to the American team, racked up a huge number of laps last week (199 between Friday and Thursday). “The test is only for training the mechanics and learning the procedures. Checo wasn’t even pushing,“ said Graeme Lowdon, team principal of the new team. ”There are still things to improve, but we are on track with the plan,” he added to the media present in Italy.

Lowdon himself outlined the plan in broad strokes in Brazil a few days earlier: “Everything is going according to plan. In fact, we will start the engine for the first time in less than 50 days, and the car will run for the first time in January next year. Then we’ll be testing at the end of January in Barcelona. There’s a lot to do. Our entry was confirmed in March 2025, so the margin is very tight. In that time, we not only have to build the car, but also manufacture it, design it, hire staff, build the factories... everything. It’s a real challenge.”

And Pérez is preparing for that challenge after a year without driving a Formula 1 car. His departure from Red Bull took him away from the paddock, but the two days at Imola have served as a first taste of what is to come. “When you’re in the sport, you’re always thinking about your next year, your next race, your next contract. It’s like you’re on autopilot. But when you’re forced to leave, you realize a lot of things,“ he said. And his contractual freedom, which Valtteri Bottas does not enjoy, has given him the opportunity to catch up with what will be part of his new team. ”I think it’s great to be back on track, and the timing is perfect because it’s just before the January tests. During these two days, physically, I want to see how much I’ve lost, what I need to work on. It will serve as a guide for the winter, so I can focus on those aspects,” the Mexican told the F1 website.

For now, Pérez isn’t setting any immediate goals. After getting his bearings back, he emphasizes that the crucial thing in a new project is to take it step by step and get everything working together: “I think it’s one thing to get everything ready for Melbourne and quite another to be competitive, which is what we’re all striving for. I was able to push certain aspects and provide guidance. It’s great to have a team where you feel you can influence things and ask for certain things. For me, the starting point is secondary. The most important thing is how quickly we can progress. I want to push the team from day one. I think we can surprise a lot of people. That’s our goal: to make a big impact in Formula 1 from day one. I see Cadillac as my final big project in this sport, and I want to make sure it’s a triumphant return.”

His times at Imola are now irrelevant. But the media present at the Italian track report that Checo clocked 1:18 on the first day and 1:17 on the second (according to motorsport.com). In this second session, he completed longer runs to check his pace. To put these times into context, we have to look back to last year, because in 2023, when the SF-23 was introduced, there was no race in Emilia Romagna due to flooding. In 2024, with an updated version of the SF-24, and in free practice, which is the closest thing to what Pérez has completed these two days at Imola, the best times were set by Leclerc, with 1:16 and 1:15.

It is also true that the SF-24 was a car capable of winning races (Leclerc three and Sainz two) and a regular on the podium (in fact, it fought for the Constructors’ Championship). Nothing to do with the SF-23, which only Sainz managed to win in Singapore. And of course, it has nothing to do with this season’s SF-25.

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