Guenther Steiner shares his honest opinion on 6x race winner Sergio Perez's candidature as a Cadillac driver

Sergio Perez will not be seen on the grid in the 2025 F1 season after Red Bull Racing parted ways with him following the end of an underwhelming 2024 season. However, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is rooting for Perez's comeback with the 11th entrant team, Cadillac.

Perez, who made his F1 debut in 2011, will exit the grid in 2025. In 2024, he fell 285 behind his champion teammate Max Verstappen to finish P8 in the drivers' championship.

Due to the significant gap in performance, Red Bull lost the constructors title to McLaren. Hence, by the end of the last season, the Milton Keynes-based squad sacked him and appointed Liam Lawson as his replacement.

While Perez is out of F1 for the time being, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner isn't ruling out his return in the future. Talking to GPblog, Steiner linked the Mexican driver to Cadillac and said (via Formula Passion):

"If you are Cadillac, you need someone with experience. Checo [Sergio Perez] has been with different teams for a long time. He knows his way around. He could be a great help. They could give him a one-year contract. It would be much better than having old rookies. It’s an opportunity for Checo."

Cadillac was confirmed as the 11th entry to the grid last year and will mark its debut in F1 in 2026. The General Motors-backed team hasn't made an official statement regarding their driver lineup, but speculations around the rumor market are rife.

Earlier, Daniel Ricciardo was also linked to Cadillac. However, in a fan interaction, Ricciardo subtly denied the speculations.

For Perez, the future remains uncertain. After two successful years with Red Bull, he saw a steep decline, which eventually pushed him out of the grid. He turned 35 this year and will likely face a challenge getting a seat in the future.

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Guenther Steiner analyzes reasons behind Sergio Perez's debacle in 2024

Max Verstappen [L[ Sergio Perez [R] (Image Source: Getty)

Sergio Perez had a disastrous season in 2024. Despite starting the season on a high, clinching four podium finishes in the first five races, Checo finished P8 in championship standings, 285 points behind his four-time champion teammate, Max Verstappen.

Meanwhile, Guenther Steiner believes the pressure of being Verstappen's teammate overpowered Perez's potential. Talking to GP Blog, he said (via Formula Passion):

"We have to be realistic. Fighting for a point because the car can't do better is one thing, but fighting for a point when your teammate with the same car is winning races puts you in a different state of mind; it's a different pressure."

He added:

"Checo was very good when he was at Force India/Racing Point. He always gave his best as an underdog, but he couldn’t handle the pressure of the top teams."

In a season where Sergio Perez failed to secure a single victory, Max Verstappen won his fourth title in a row, with a 63-point lead over Lando Norris of McLaren.