Sergio Perez has dismissed Mario Andretti's claim that he returned to F1 2026 with rust, insisting he's back in top form. Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas admits he needed a minor tune-up but hit full speed by the Chinese GP.
In the glitzy, high-stakes world of Formula 1, where egos are as polished as the cars themselves, Sergio Perez has found himself fending off the colorful commentary of a motorsport legend. Mario Andretti, the 1978 World Champion and now a Cadillac F1 board member, recently suggested that both Perez and his teammate Valtteri Bottas were a little 'rusty' as they returned to the grid with Cadillac for the 2026 season. Perez, however, is having none of it.
The Mexican driver, a veteran of podiums with the likes of Red Bull, was quick to brush off Andretti’s comments. "To be honest, I think we’ve been performing on a very high level," Perez declared, his confidence as robust as ever. Reflecting on the season's start, he noted his happiness with his performance, particularly during his Melbourne weekend, despite encountering some car damage. "Coming back and straight away, I was in the pace within a couple of days," he asserted, dismissing any notion of rust.
Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas, who shares the Cadillac cockpit with Perez, took a more philosophical approach. He acknowledged needing a few laps to shake off the cobwebs. However, by the time the circus reached China, Bottas felt like he had never left the paddock. His performance there, despite battling with a damaged car, convinced him he was back up to speed.
Cadillac, the American squad making its way into F1 with a duo of experienced hands, finds itself at the tail end of the grid alongside Aston Martin. Yet, getting both cars across the finish line in China and Japan is a triumph that the team treasures, proving their mettle in a cutthroat sport.
Despite Andretti's critique, Cadillac’s early foray into F1 is showing promise—or so Perez and Bottas would argue. The team currently sits 10th in the Constructors’ standings, with Bottas’ P13 in China putting them slightly ahead of Aston Martin. With the season still young, Perez is eyeing a summer breakthrough, hoping the team's upgrades will see them climb the ladder.
The paddock watches with bated breath to see if Cadillac can join the midfield fray, or if Andretti's 'rust' remark might hold a kernel of truth after all. But if Perez has anything to say about it, Cadillac will soon be a force to be reckoned with, leaving any talk of rust firmly in the past.