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Cadillac have moved to shut down speculation linking Sergio Pérez with a switch to Williams, with team principal Marcin Budkowski and CEO Dan Towriss both insisting the Mexican remains central to the American outfit's F1 project. Pérez, 36, joined Cadillac ahead of their debut season but has yet to score a point due to the team's uncompetitive package. Despite the struggles, Cadillac view his experience and internal influence as non-negotiable, particularly with uncertainty surrounding Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon's futures at Williams.
Pérez holds a 9-5 qualifying head-to-head advantage over teammate Valtteri Bottas when sprint sessions are included, a metric Cadillac cite as evidence of his continued sharpness. More significantly, the team credit him with importing the high-performance culture he absorbed during his years at Red Bull Racing, where he worked alongside some of the sport's most exacting engineers and strategists.
Budkowski: 'Too many variables without him'
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Budkowski outlined why retaining Pérez is a strategic priority. "Checo is a huge asset for Cadillac. Both drivers bring a lot of experience, and that is especially important for a new team. If the driver and the team have to learn everything at the same time, you simply get too many variables. That is why it is crucial for us to keep someone like Checo on board," he said.
Budkowski added that Pérez's value extends well beyond lap times. "He has not only performed exceptionally well, but also puts enormous pressure on the team behind the scenes to improve. That is what you expect from someone who has worked at Red Bull for years and collaborated with the best people there. That mentality and drive is exactly what we need at Cadillac."
Towriss dismisses Williams speculation
Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss echoed his team principal's assessment and made clear the organisation has no intention of entertaining offers for Pérez. "I can only endorse what Marcin says. Checo is of enormous value to this team. He has driven excellently and also pushed us hard to take steps forward," Towriss told the same outlet.
Williams are understood to be evaluating their driver options amid uncertainty over both Sainz, who has yet to deliver the expected step change in competitiveness, and Albon, whose long-term contract situation remains fluid. Pérez's name has circulated as a potential short-term solution, given his commercial appeal and technical feedback skills. Towriss, however, dismissed the chatter outright. "I have every confidence that Checo will stay at Cadillac. We are not distracted for a moment by the rumours about Williams. We have a lot of faith in our partnership and I expect to continue seeing him in the Cadillac F1 car."
Red Bull mentality in a start-up environment
Cadillac's public backing of Pérez reflects a broader recognition that building a competitive F1 team requires more than just talent behind the wheel. The American squad entered the championship with limited recent grand prix infrastructure, relying heavily on external partnerships and the knowledge base of veterans like Pérez and Bottas. While the Finn brings his own Mercedes pedigree, Pérez's more recent exposure to a championship-winning operation appears to carry particular weight internally.
The question for Cadillac is whether that influence can translate into tangible performance gains quickly enough to justify keeping a 36-year-old on the books while younger alternatives circulate. For now, the team's leadership have made their position clear: Pérez is staying, and the Williams speculation will not alter that calculus.
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