Guenther Steiner identifies axed F1 driver who could be a “big help” to Cadillac

Former Haas F1 boss Guenther Steiner sees Sergio Perez as a great option for Cadillac in 2026, stating “he could be a big help”.

Cadillac are set to join the grid in 2026 as F1’s 11th team.

They’ve already confirmed Graeme Lowdon as team principal, and they will run Ferrari engines until the end of the decade as General Motors prepare their own power unit.

Driver-wise, Cadillac have several great options for 2026.

Perez is out of contract following Red Bull’s decision to ditch him for Liam Lawson.

Valtteri Bottas is also available after missing out on the Sauber seat, as is Zhou Guanyu.

Speaking to GP Blog, Steiner explained why Perez would make sense.

“If you’re Cadillac, you need somebody experienced. Checo has been in quite a few teams for a long time. He knows his way around. He could be a big help,” Steiner said.

“Maybe put him on a one-year contract. It’s a lot better than having old rookies in there. That’s an opportunity for Checo.”

Perez “overdelivered as an underdog”

While Perez’s Red Bull tenure was generally unsuccessful, prior to it, he built up a reputation as F1’s king of the midfield.

The Mexican often over-performed in terms of results, with a number of podium finishes to his name in midfield machinery.

Perez’s reputation before joining Red Bull was sky-high, winning the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.

Given how Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly’s reputations have been restored since leaving Red Bull, the same could happen to Perez.

Steiner added: “Wait a moment. I don’t want to be cynical here. He was up at the front of the grid last year.

“We need to be realistic. Fighting for one point because the car cannot be better is one thing, but fighting for one point when your teammate with the same car is winning races puts you in a different headspace, it’s a different pressure.

“Checo was very good when he was at Force India Racing, whatever it was called, Racing Point.

“He always over delivered as an underdog. He couldn’t keep up with the pressure of the top team. So maybe it’s his comfort zone where he has not got that pressure to need to show that he’s good by winning, by showing that I can make a point, maybe that maybe puts him in a better place.”