Sergio Perez makes striking F1 claim after Red Bull exit recovery

Sergio Perez has made the striking claim that he is "one of the best" drivers in Formula 1, believing he has fully recovered from his Red Bull exit at the end of 2024.

The Mexican parted ways with Red Bull at the end of the 2024 season after a disappointing second half of the campaign, during which he scored just 44 points across the final 17 rounds.

He opted to spend the bulk of last year away from motorsport before signing a multi-year deal with Cadillac from 2026.

Despite Cadillac's package being among the slowest in the field, Perez has delivered strong performances and has been significantly stronger than team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

After the difficult end to his four-year stint with Red Bull, the Mexican feels that his move to Cadillac has allowed him to prove that he remains one of the strongest drivers on the grid.

"Well, obviously, when you look at my last six months at Red Bull, you wouldn't think that I'm one of the best out there," Perez told select media including RacingNews365. 

"But when you understand the circumstances I was in at that point, and the people that understand performance at the end of the day, when you see the level of performance that I'm putting in with my team, you realise that I'm one of the best out there.

"At the end of the day, you require the right circumstances for your talent to be able to show itself. So, in that regard, I'm very pleased I came back and proved it to myself. 

"At the end of the day, it's just a game with myself as a driver, that you want to have that confidence in you."

Perez's post-Red Bull recovery

While Perez has finished no higher than 14th across the opening seven rounds, he has helped steer F1's newest team in the right direction.

His pace has improved race by race, something that is largely down to his confidence returning after he admitted it had been dented by his Red Bull exit.

The 36-year-old returned to F1 questioning whether he had been the problem at the Milton Keynes-based outfit, but his performances for Cadillac have proven to him that this was not the case.

Asked when he started to feel back to his best, Perez explained: "Obviously it kind of hurt my confidence because, when you start to struggle the way I struggled in my last period at Red Bull, it hurts your confidence, you know.

"And when I jumped in the Ferrari and was already up to speed within 10 laps, despite not driving anything, I was like, 'You know, it must have been the circumstances I was in.'

"Then, over the last three or four races, the level of performance that I've been able to put together in qualifying and race pace makes me feel like the speed has always been there. There are a lot of circumstances that, as a driver, you cannot control when you are struggling with so many different factors.

"So it's a great boost of confidence and a great example to a lot of drivers who go through it, you know. It makes you feel like, 'Maybe I'm the problem, and maybe I'm not as good as I used to be.' But it's all about the circumstances around you."