Cadillac chiefs dismiss Perez-to-Williams rumors, back Mexican for debut season

Sergio Perez remains firmly in Cadillac's plans for its debut Formula 1 season, with new team principal Marcin Budkowski and CEO Dan Towriss both dismissing persistent speculation linking the Mexican to Williams. While the American outfit is yet to score a point due to machinery that has kept it anchored at the back of the grid, Perez has consistently outpaced teammate Valtteri Bottas and is proving to be a vocal, demanding force behind the team's rapid development.

Why it matters:

For a brand-new outfit navigating the steep learning curve of Formula 1, retaining a veteran like Perez is about far more than raw lap times. His experience provides stability while the team builds its infrastructure and learns how to operate at the Grand Prix level. Losing him now would strip Cadillac of crucial institutional knowledge and heap additional pressure on an organization still finding its footing following the recent leadership transition that brought Budkowski in to replace Graeme Lowdon.

The details:

• Perez currently leads Bottas 9-5 in their qualifying head-to-head, including sprint events, and has been the quicker driver as Cadillac attempts to bridge the gap to the midfield.
• Budkowski defended the decision to hire two experienced drivers, arguing that pairing rookies with a rookie team would create "too many variables" during a critical learning phase.
• Behind the scenes, Perez is reportedly pushing the engineering team hard to improve the MAC-26, channeling the winning mentality and high standards he developed during multiple seasons at Red Bull.
• Towriss directly addressed the Williams speculation, stating the team is "not distracted" by rumors and is fully confident Perez will continue piloting the Cadillac F1 car through the remainder of the campaign.

What's next:

Cadillac's immediate priority is translating Perez's feedback into tangible performance gains and securing the team's first championship points. With Budkowski now at the helm, aligning the Mexican's aggressive development demands with the new leadership's technical vision will be paramount. If the squad can respond to his input and upgrade the MAC-26 effectively, Cadillac might yet turn its difficult debut year into a credible foundation for midfield contention in the seasons ahead.