Sergio Perez will partner Valtteri Bottas at Cadillac

Sergio Perez names the first F1 driver to congratulate him on Cadillac move

19:44, 27 Aug

Updated: 19:54, 27 Aug

bySamson Ero

As the Formula 1 world continues to digest the news of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas joining the Cadillac F1 team for the 2026 season, Perez has revealed the first driver to congratulate him on joining the outfit. The Mexican driver shared Max Verstappen was the first of the current drivers to congratulate him on his move.

Perez, who was asked during a Cadillac press event about whether he had been congratulated by the current drivers on the grid, detailed that several drivers have reached out to him following the announcement.

“I was surprised by it, it messaged by a lot of drivers. They seem to miss me. I will say the first one was Max [Verstappen], he was straight on. Teammates, [Pierre] Gasly, Franco [Colapinto], they did send a message, and we have a group where they most times put a message, so it was nice to see that they are happy to see me back.”

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen were teammates at Red Bull Racing for four seasons. The pair led the Austrian outfit to two Constructors' Championships (2022, 2023) during their time together.

Max Verstappen is looking forward to meeting Sergio Perez

Earlier, Max Verstappen detailed that he was looking forward to meeting Sergio Perez. Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, the four-time world champion spoke to the media to set the record straight on his relationship with the Mexican after a few comments made by Perez.

The 35-year-old had claimed that the Red Bull Racing team regretted sacking him and also touched on an incident that happened between the pair during the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, which appeared to suggest friction in both drivers’ friendship. However, Verstappen was swift to refute these claims, stating that Perez had been misinterpreted.