Perez's father speaks out: 'Not Verstappen, but Checo would have been the champion'

Antonio Perez Garibay claims his son Sergio Perez could have become world champion 'if he had received the car he deserved'.

Sergio Perez will compete for Cadillac next year, teaming up with Valtteri Bottas at the American outfit, it was announced ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Mexican driver has a gap year in 2025, after he was let go by Red Bull Racing at the end of the previous season.

‘Red Bull became champion each year with Checo’

Perez Sr. suggests out that both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda's performance alongside Max Verstappen clearly illustrates the importance of his son's role in the Austrian team.

"Checo was with Red Bull for four years. How many years was Red Bull champion? All four," he told Mexican Victory Media among others.

In doing so, he refers to Verstappen's world titles, since Mercedes and McLaren were crowned constructors' champions in 2021 and 2024 respectively.

Still, Perez senior emphasizes that his son made the difference in crucial moments. "Checo Perez made Verstappen world champion," says the father of the future Cadillac driver.

'Not Verstappen, but Perez would have become the champion'

Perez Sr. believes that particularly the 2021 season was a testament of his son's abilities.

"If Checo had received the car he deserved in his final year, he would have become world champion himself. Red Bull needed him to become champion. They gave him a great car, and he kept an eight-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, behind him," he says.

Next year, Perez will drive for the 11th team on the grid, Cadillac. Perez Sr. also named the target for his son's next adventure.

"This partnership between Checo Perez and Cadillac has only one objective for the two: to become world champions in Formula 1."