Cadillac’s nightmare start and the rumors about Perez
The first half of the 2026 season, which marked Cadillac‘s debut in Formula 1, was not at all positive for the American team. So far, the team has not yet scored any championship points with two drivers who, in the past, have won more than one GP in their careers: Valtteri Bottas, former Mercedes, and Sergio Perez, even last in the overall standings. Yet, in recent weeks, the Mexican, former teammate of Verstappen at Red Bull, has been repeatedly linked to Williams, especially after rumors about Carlos Sainz, considered ready to leave the Grove-based team following the car’s lack of competitiveness.
Read more The background: it was D’Ambrosio who offered himself to Vasseur to move to Ferrari
Towriss confident
According to Autosprint, to prevent the departure of the former Ferrari driver, Williams itself would have offered a top driver salary to the Spaniard, but the one who wanted to deny any possible transfer of Perez to England (even in the case of a possible departure of Alex Albon, which would free up another seat) was Cadillac owner and CEO Dan Towriss.
According to him, who recently also intervened to appoint the new Team Principal Marcin Budkowski, there is no doubt about the 36-year-old’s stay for 2027 as well: “Checo is an extraordinary asset – he explained to the media – he has driven very well and has definitely pushed to the maximum. I am confident that Checo will remain at Cadillac and we are not distracted at all by the rumors of a possible move to Williams. We are very confident in the relationship we have built and we are sure you will see him behind the wheel of the Cadillac F1 in 2027.”
Read more Dutch GP 2026: Sky/Now and TV8 schedules
Words very similar to those expressed by Budkowski, who emphasized the importance of two veteran drivers in the team like Perez and Bottas: “Checo is a valuable asset to the team, as are both drivers – added the new Team Principal – I believe it is essential, in a young team like this, to be able to count on experience and stability. If a driver is learning and the whole team is learning at the same time, there are too many variables, so it is important to have a driver like Checo on board. Not only has he driven exceptionally, but he has also pushed the team a lot behind the scenes, and this is expected from a driver like him, who has been at Red Bull for years and with the best. It is precisely the mentality we want.”
Read more Updates, here is Mercedes’ response: the debut of the new package at Sepang is being considered
