300th Grand Prix at home: Pérez extends Cadillac deal to at least 2029
Sergio Pérez will start his 300th Grand Prix in Mexico City on Sunday. Just before that, Cadillac extended the 36-year-old's contract to at least 2029 – even though the team has yet to score a point.
Archive image · Photo: Eustace Bagge / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
His home race becomes an anniversary for Sergio Pérez: the Mexican will start a Formula 1 race for the 300th time on Sunday. On Wednesday Cadillac announced that Pérez will stay with the team until at least 2029. "Joining Cadillac Formula 1 Team from day one was a project I truly believed in," he said, according to Formula1.com. "I am fully committed for the next three years." Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss said: "Building a competitive team in F1 is a long-term journey."
Cadillac's debut season has been tough. According to Formula1.com, the team and Pérez have yet to score; Crash.net says the six-time Grand Prix winner is 23rd in the drivers' standings, with a best result of 14th. "At the moment, we're the last team," Pérez admitted on Thursday, according to Coffee Corner Motorsport. He called it "crazy" to reach 300 starts – and to do it in Mexico. He missed last year's home race after his exit from Red Bull.
It is still open who will partner Pérez in 2027. Cadillac has only announced his extension; according to Crash.net, attention now turns to Valtteri Bottas's future. Pérez himself would not take sides, saying "there isn't an easy decision for the team" when asked about Bottas and reserve driver Colton Herta.