Sergio Pérez extends Cadillac F1 contract until at least 2029 before home race

A deal ahead of the home race

Cadillac has signed Sergio Pérez to a multi-year contract extension that keeps him with the American team until at least the end of 2029. The announcement came on 28 October, days before he starts his home grand prix in Mexico City. Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss told The Athletic earlier this year that Pérez's previous deal ran through 2027, the same end date as the agreement of teammate Valtteri Bottas. The 36-year-old is set to make his 300th Formula 1 start at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, 1 November. In the team's release, Pérez said he remains fully committed to the project for the coming years:

“There is still a lot of work ahead of us and I am fully committed for the next three years.”

Route to the grid

Pérez made his Formula 1 debut in 2011 and has raced for six teams over 15 seasons. His six grand prix wins include five scored with Red Bull between 2021 and 2024, plus one in 2020 for Racing Point, the team now known as Aston Martin. Red Bull dropped him at the end of 2024 with two years still left on his contract, because the team judged he had not done enough to back up Max Verstappen. He spent 2025 without a race seat before joining Cadillac for its debut season, where Bottas is his teammate.

Pérez, in an interview with The Athletic, argued that drivers are judged on far more than speed:

“People underestimate how good drivers are at dealing with the rest of the package.”

He will reach his 300th start as only the seventh driver in the sport's history, passing four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in that count, according to The New York Times.

A tough debut season

Cadillac did not receive official approval to join the 2026 grid until March 2025, which left less than a year to get a car, staff and factory ready, according to The New York Times. The team has been outdeveloped by rivals and is the only one still without a point this season. Marcin Budkowski, who replaced Graeme Lowdon as team principal in August, told The Athletic in Austin that Cadillac had many teething issues and reliability problems, some of which affected safety. Pérez's best finish is 14th, reached at Barcelona, Silverstone and Azerbaijan, and he has yet to get past Q1 in qualifying this season. Against Bottas, he leads 5-1 in races where both finished and 10-8 in qualifying, and he rates the campaign as "pretty high" among his 15 seasons because he is "leading the team."

Qualifying wins, Pérez10

Qualifying wins, Bottas8

Races where both finished, Pérez ahead5

Races where both finished, Bottas ahead1

Qualifying wins, Pérez

10 count

Qualifying wins, Bottas

8 count

Races where both finished, Pérez ahead

5 count

Races where both finished, Bottas ahead

1 count

Data from the article text

Bottas and the 2027 question

Bottas, who is 37, has also not scored a point for Cadillac this season. His previous contract ran through 2027, similar to Pérez's old deal, according to The New York Times. Team principal Budkowski avoided confirming both drivers for next year at the Austin round the weekend before the extension, according to N-tv. With Pérez's future now settled, no announcement on Bottas's future has been made.

Experience and the home crowd

Pérez earned the nickname Mexican Minister of Defense for holding off Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after which Max Verstappen went on to win his first world championship. He spent his time off travelling and with his young family, and he described his years at Red Bull as very challenging. He said it was difficult to perform in those circumstances but that he felt he did a good job with what he had. His 300th start is scheduled for Sunday, 1 November, in front of his home crowd in Mexico City.