Reports claiming Sergio Perez has already signed a deal to drive for Cadillac next year are wide of the mark, RaceFans understands.
The new team which will enter Formula 1 next year is believed to be interested in securing the services of Perez, who lost his seat at Red Bull at the end of last year. He won five grands prix for the team, plus one at Racing Point (now Aston Martin), in a career spanning 15 seasons and 281 grand prix starts.
Reports ahead of the Miami Grand Prix weekend claimed Perez agreed a deal with the team months ago. However the team is yet to confirm either of its drivers for the upcoming season.
Perez would be an obvious fit for the American team for reasons beyond his experience and success. He is by far the most successful driver from North America to compete in F1 over recent seasons and has brought sponsorship from Mexican companies to previous teams he raced for.
However Perez is not the only past grand prix winner who lost his F1 seat at the end of last year. Valtteri Bottas, who won 10 races at Mercedes, returned to that team as a reserve driver this year after losing his drive at Sauber.
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowden has previously said they are considering up to eight potential drivers for next year.
“We’ll definitely select on merit,” he said. “Formula 1’s not a playground. This is the pinnacle of world motorsport so, for sure, we need to select drivers on merit.”
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Cadillac will be the first new team on the grid since Haas joined in 2016, and will increase the total number of cars to 22. They will use Ferrari customer engines next year but the carmaker General Motors plans to build its own engine for introduction in 2029.
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