Sergio Perez’s options that could yield him an F1 seat in 2026, or sooner

Sergio Perez continues to hog the Formula 1 scene despite not racing this season and, although some media expected his appointment within the Cadillac team in the past Miami GP weekend event, the Mexican’s options are open to more than one team as Motorsport.com already reported.

Checo has held advanced talks with Cadillac, but also other teams such as Alpine and Mercedes have had interest in having the services of the Mexican for the 2026 season, although each option depends on some factors.

Options A, B, or C: Alpine, Mercedes, or Cadillac?

In Alpine’s case, it is not the first time that Perez’s name comes up. In the past, when the team was still called Renault, the Mexican was one of the favorites to take one of the seats, but that did not crystallize, although a photo was leaked on the Latin American’s website where he appeared with a sign saying “Renault” as the selected team.

Alpine is now undergoing a restructuring process after the changes in the board of directors in the last two years, the most recent being the departure of Oliver Oakes with Flavio Briatore taking over as team manager. The Italian is looking for a significant amount of budget and, currently, with the promotion of Franco Colapinto for five races has secured the support of new sponsors — a situation that could be replicated with Checo should an agreement be reached.

While some of Perez’s sponsors had already decided to leave racing before the crisis with Red Bull, the Mexican retains a number of important personal backers including Carlos Slim Domit, a member of the family ranked 19th in the Forbes billionaires ranking.

For now, the phase with Alpine is in initial talks, as is Mercedes. In the case of the German firm, a driver move is needed, specifically the departure of George Russell. Toto Wolff, head of the German team has shown sympathy in the past for Perez highlighting his work in development, but also as a loyal teammate.
However, the situation at the silver arrows is not so simple and everything depends on Max Verstappen. If the Dutchman decides not to continue with Red Bull until his 2028 contract it is understood that Christian Horner has examined the option of Russell as a possible replacement, this would leave a seat vacant at Mercedes.

Should Verstappen migrate to Aston Martin, Wolff would be interested in the Perez’s services to become Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s squire. The Mexican has already proven his worth when it comes to helping his teammate as he did with Verstappen in 2021 against Lewis Hamilton.

Cadillac’s option is still on the table. The American team knows the Mexican’s potential to help develop cars, as he already did at Sauber and Force India/Racing Point, in addition to the economic support and fan base he has in the United States.

However, any of these three options is yet to be defined. Contrary to some media reports, Perez has not signed a contract with Cadillac.