Sergio Perez armed with fresh Cadillac weapon in Baku happy hunting ground

Sergio Perez returns to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for the first time in two years, armed with Ferrari's latest upgraded engine as Cadillac hunts its first F1 points. The Mexican, dropped by Red Bull after 2024, is the most successful driver in Baku's history with two wins (2021 and 2023), a second (2022), and a third (2018).

Why it matters:

Perez's strong record on the Baku street circuit gives Cadillac a genuine chance to break its points duck. The team's best finish so far is 13th, and the upgraded power unit could be the boost needed to climb into the top ten.

The details:

• Perez will receive the ADUO-upgraded Ferrari power unit, introduced by the works team in Italy. Oliver Bearman has already used it, but Esteban Ocon and Cadillac's Perez and Bottas have not.
• The MAC-26 chassis also gets aerodynamic upgrades for this weekend.
• In his last Baku appearance in 2024, Perez out-qualified Max Verstappen on merit and was fighting for second with the Ferraris before tangling with Carlos Sainz and crashing out.
• He even contended for pole in 2016 (then the European Grand Prix) before a crash for Force India.
• Cadillac's best finish so far is 13th (Bottas in China). Perez finished 10th in Monaco but lost the point to a post-race penalty.

What's next:

Perez is confident after a strong Spanish GP showing, where he retired while running well. "Baku is a circuit where I've had a lot of success in the past," he said. "The hope is to hit the ground running, get into a good rhythm across the practice sessions, and deliver a good result the team deserves."