Sergio Perez Commits to Cadillac Through at Least 2029

Cadillac has tied Sergio Perez to its Formula 1 project for the long haul. The American team announced on 28 October that the Mexican driver has signed a multi-year extension, and GrandPrix.com reported that the new agreement keeps him at Cadillac until at least 2029. The timing was deliberate: the announcement landed on the eve of the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, where Perez is set to make the 300th Grand Prix start of his career in front of his home crowd at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The deal matters because Cadillac is in its debut season and has not yet scored a point. RacingNews365 noted that Perez’s best result of 2026 so far is 14th. Committing to a 36-year-old driver for three more seasons during a pointless first year is a statement that the team values experience, feedback and stability more than short-term results while it builds its organisation.

What Cadillac and Perez said

Perez framed the decision around patience. “Building a Formula 1 team from the ground up takes time, relentless work and patience,” he said in comments carried by GrandPrix.com. He added: “There is still a lot of work ahead of us and I am fully committed for the next three years.” That three-year commitment lines up with the reported 2029 end date if the 2027 season is counted as the first year of the extension.

Team chief executive Dan Towriss spoke in similar terms. “Building a competitive team in F1 is a long-term journey,” he said, according to RacingNews365. GrandPrix.com reported that Towriss described Perez’s talent and leadership as giving Cadillac the continuity it needs to build on the foundation laid in its first year. The team also credited Perez’s technical feedback and racecraft with helping its chassis development and trackside operations.

• Announcement date: 28 October 2026, ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix.
• Contract: multi-year, running until at least 2029, according to GrandPrix.com.
• Perez’s Grand Prix record: six wins, with his 300th start due in Mexico City.
• Cadillac’s 2026 position: debut season, still waiting for its first points.
• Perez’s best 2026 finish so far: 14th, per RacingNews365.

A team spread across three sites

Cadillac’s operation is unusually spread out for a new entrant. GrandPrix.com pointed out that the team works across bases in Silverstone, Indianapolis and Charlotte. Linking engineering groups in two countries is a challenge in itself, and a driver who has worked with several teams across a long career can help translate what the car is doing on track into clear priorities for people who are often thousands of kilometres apart.

That is where Perez’s background is relevant. He has driven for midfield teams and for a front-running Red Bull outfit, he has won six Grands Prix, and he has seen how top teams organise development. For a team that is still learning how to run a Formula 1 car through a full season, that experience can be worth more than a single headline result.

Cadillac’s first season has also been a difficult technical introduction. Earlier this year Perez spoke publicly about power unit safety concerns, and the team has spent most of 2026 at the back of the field. Neither driver has broken into the points. Against that backdrop, keeping a settled line-up for 2027 avoids starting another rebuilding cycle while the car itself still needs fundamental progress.

What it means for the 2027 grid

Perez’s confirmation removes one more question from a 2027 driver market that is now largely settled. Haas confirmed Rafael Camara earlier in October, and most leading teams have their line-ups in place. The articles reporting Perez’s deal did not say whether Valtteri Bottas will remain in Cadillac’s second car for 2027. RacingNews365 named Bottas as Perez’s current team-mate but did not report a decision on his future, and The Race had described Bottas’s 2027 place as not yet guaranteed during the Austin weekend.

• Cadillac now has one confirmed driver for 2027 and beyond.
• Bottas’s 2027 status was not addressed in the announcement.
• Haas has signed Rafael Camara as its first rookie for 2027.
• Racing Bulls had not announced its 2027 line-up as of 20 October, according to GPFans.

For Perez personally, the extension gives him a clear path into his late thirties. After his time at Red Bull ended, a return with a brand-new American manufacturer team was always going to be a long project rather than a quick route back to the podium. Signing until at least 2029 means he will see the project through several stages, including whatever step the team can make with its second-year car in 2027.

Analysis: why stability makes sense

New teams in Formula 1 usually struggle for several years, and the ones that survive tend to be the ones that avoid constant change at the top and in the cockpit. Cadillac’s choice reflects that. Perez knows the car, knows the people and has already been part of the development direction for the 2027 machine. Changing drivers now would cost time the team does not have.

There is also a commercial angle that should not be ignored. Perez brings a large and loyal Latin American following, and Cadillac is an American brand trying to establish itself in a sport that is growing quickly in the Americas. The decision to announce the extension in Mexico week, with his 300th start approaching, shows the team understands the value of that connection.

The risk is obvious: a long contract for a driver in his late thirties ties up a seat that could otherwise go to a younger talent. But Cadillac’s immediate problem is the car, not the driver line-up. Until it can regularly fight in the midfield, a calm, experienced leader who can guide the engineers is probably the most useful asset it can have.

For fans in Malaysia following the run-in, the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend runs from 30 October to 1 November, and Perez’s milestone start will be one of the main local storylines. Whatever the result, he will go into it knowing his future is settled for years to come.