Perez sent stark warning by Grand Prix winner on possible F1 return
F1 News
Sergio Perez will not be on the grid for the start of the new Formula 1 season next weekend. Over the winter, he was replaced at Red Bull Racing by New Zealander Liam Lawson. With no seat at another F1 team, speculation about his future continues. Juan Pablo Montoya has weighed in on the discussion, openly questioning whether Perez even wants to return to Formula 1.
At 35 years old, Sergio Perez is at a crossroads in his career. The key question is not only whether he wants to return to Formula 1 but also whether teams see value in signing him. With Cadillac officially joining the grid, there is speculation that they could offer him a seat. Montoya, however, remains sceptical, questioning whether Perez should even attempt a return to the pinnacle of motorsport. After years of competing at the highest level, Montoya suggests that Perez may need to evaluate if he has the drive and hunger to fight for a seat again.
Montoya warns Perez against F1 return
"For every person, of course, it is a different story. For everyone, it is a very personal thing, but he has small children, and he will spend a year with his family, focusing on his home and everything around it. And then to get back into the rhythm of Formula 1 - the hustle and bustle, the trips, the events, the simulator and all those things," Montoya began to Motorsport.
"It's not easy, it's not easy to say, 'I'm returning to this full-time.' It's not easy to get that engine going again for all that work. Besides, I haven't heard anything from him. Red Bull has let him go, and it seems nobody is mentioning him, nobody is talking about Checo at the moment," the 49-year-old Colombian continued. Montoya went on to say that he thought Checo was a logical choice for Cadillac.
"And for Cadillac, with the American market, the Latin market, 'Checo' would be a logical person, he is someone with experience, who has been in championship winning cars, who knows what is needed, he is a very good driver because he is a driver who is not going to crash a lot, he is a driver who is going to do things well.
"That is very valuable to the teams. I think that what we have to wait for is, when Cadillac comes in, how does Cadillac take advantage of it? Because Cadillac, suddenly, since it has so many expenses initially, they are going to say, 'listen, (Zhou) Guanyu brings us money, this other one brings us money, this other one brings us money, this is what we want to do'. I don't know. And when the team becomes more solid, at some point they are going to say, 'we want to look for the best drivers', which is what everyone always wants to look for," the Colombian concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Esteban den Toom
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