Formula 1: Perez targets joy in racing again with Bottas as they join Cadillac

New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS) Sergio Perez said he had “nothing to prove” and only wanted to rediscover the joy of competing in Formula One after Cadillac confirmed his return to the grid next season.

The 35-year-old Mexican, who was dropped by Red Bull at the end of a turbulent 2024 campaign despite having two years left on his contract, will spearhead the debut of the American manufacturer alongside former Mercedes star Valtteri Bottas.

“My main target is to enjoy it (again),” Perez told reporters during a video call with Bottas on Tuesday. “I want to get back to the enjoyment, and this project just brings me that excitement back. I couldn’t afford to leave the way I left the sport, you know, and this is why I’m coming back with this new project.”

Perez endured a difficult final season at Red Bull, finishing 285 points behind four-time world champion teammate Max Verstappen. He also became the only driver among the top four teams to end the season winless.

Red Bull, meanwhile, has continued to struggle in his absence, with Verstappen scoring 187 of the team’s 194 points across 14 races as the team cycled through two more teammates and parted ways with long-time boss Christian Horner.

“When you see the amount of points they’ve scored (his replacements)… I don’t think I’ve got anything to prove in that regard,” Perez said.

Bottas, a 10-time race winner and former title runner-up to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, emphasised that there would be no internal rivalry between the pair.

“We’re here to work together. We don’t need to prove anything to each other,” Bottas said. “I have respect for Checo, I know he’s got respect for me, so we are in this together and really trying to guide the team forward and give everything to the team.”

The Finn revealed that talks with Cadillac principal Graeme Lowdon had been ongoing for nearly two years and acknowledged the enormity of the challenge ahead for the sport’s newcomers.

“There’s a mountain of work to do,” Bottas admitted. “It’s a likely difficult start. But we’re not there to stay at the back, we don’t want to finish last, and I believe with this structure and group, these people, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to get relatively quickly up the pace and enjoy some success.”

Cadillac, backed by General Motors and billionaire Mark Walter’s TWG Global, will join as Formula One’s 11th team on the grid from 2026, with operations split between Indianapolis, North Carolina, and Silverstone.

--IANS

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