Cadillac has addressed rumours relating to Sergio Perez and also links with Rafael Camara, as the Formula 1 team is firm with the Mexican staying put.
The silly season market continues to take a different shape after every week. When F1 entered the summer break, speculation linked Perez to a move to Williams, with Carlos Sainz moving elsewhere. With Cadillac struggling as a new team on the grid, the rumour mill started its due process.
Even though Perez stressed on staying put at Cadillac before the break, the speculation has continued on. However, TWG Motorsports’ chief Dan Towriss has put a rest to the claims, by informing that ‘Checo’ will be with the American F1 team in 2027, contrary to the reports.
While it is still new for new Cadillac F1 team principal Marcin Budkowski, but with the conversations with Towriss, the pole had good words for Perez and his work ethic to push the team continuously. He feels once they get going, they will align quickly on the mindset.
Perez is an asset to Cadillac F1 Team
“It’s a tricky one before I start, but Checo’s been an asset to the team and so have both drivers, to be honest, because there’s been a lot of talk about Cadillac taking two very experienced drivers, but I think it’s crucial in a young team like this to provide that experience and that stability,” said Budkowski to media in an online session.
“If you have a driver learning and the whole team learning at the same time, that’s too many variables. So, I think it’s important to have a driver like Checo on board and he’s been, from what I know because of the conversations I’ve had with Dan, but also with other people from the team, he’s not only been driving exceptionally well, but he’s been pushing the team very, very hard in the background.
“And that’s to be expected from a driver like him who’s been at Red Bull for years and with the best and I think that’s the kind of mindset that we want and that’s also the kind of mindset that I will bring. So, I’m sure, we will be aligned completely on the mindset and on the drive. Apart from that, honestly, I can’t answer this question today and to be honest, it’s more a question for Dan who’s been involved in it than for myself at this stage.”
Williams Perez links not a distraction
To which Towriss added: “Yeah, look, I would underline all the things that Marcin said. Checo’s been a tremendous asset to the team. He’s driven very well and certainly has pushed quite hard. I’m very confident that Checo is going to remain with Cadillac and we’re not distracted by the Williams rumours for a second. We’re very confident in the relationship here and that you’re going to see him piloting the Cadillac F1 car.”
Caveat to rumours of rookie joining but firm on current F1 drivers
When pressed by media to check on the other links that Cadillac has with Ferrari as its power unit provider and a certain young driver in their ranks i.e F2 title contender Camara, Towriss laid down a caveat but played down the rumours about a race seat in F1 2027.
He is firm that Perez will be driving for Cadillac alongside Valtteri Bottas – a direction that they are mostly pinned at. “It’s a great question, whether a younger driver come in and push the team,” said Towriss. “It’s certainly something that we think about.
“We’ve got two experienced drivers that we’re very happy with, that are pushing the team and we’ll continue to push them. I’ll throw the caveat, though, it’s Formula One and things can always change. So, there are no changes planned at the moment for 2027, but things can always change.
“But we are not looking to…I know there’s been some of the rumours out there with some of the young drivers. They’re not substantiated, so that’s not something I would focus on. So, we’re not focused on that at the moment,” summed up Towriss.