Sergio Perez opens up on new Cadillac development: 'Never seen anything like it'

Sergio Perez has described Cadillac's new Silverstone factory as the most impressive facility he has encountered in his Formula 1 career.

Perez toured the facility alongside team-mate Valtteri Bottas last week ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit. The two drivers held technical meetings with engineers and staff working on the car project.

Cadillac's operational base at Silverstone sits alongside the team's under-construction headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, and powertrain facilities in North Carolina, forming the backbone of the American manufacturer's multi-hub infrastructure.

Perez did not hold back on his assessment of what he saw. Speaking to the media, including RacingNews365, he said: "We were at the factory, and it's very impressive. I've never seen a factory like this in my career. It's really, really impressive.

"It was really nice to see it. We had talks with the engineers, with all the people involved in the project, the plans and stuff. It was nice to catch up with everyone."

Asked what made the new base stand out, former Red Bull driver Perez pointed to the freshness of the operation from top to bottom.

"First of all, it's because everything is new: the equipment they have, the platforms, how nicely it is connected, all the different departments," he said. "It's like a new home, very well organised. It was really good to see."

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Cadillac team boss - Come see for yourself

Perez's comments echo those of team principal Marcin Budkowski, who used the Silverstone facility to push back on suggestions that the team's British base is merely a stopgap before operations shift entirely to the United States.

Budkowski said the visit from Bottas and Perez had left a strong impression on both drivers, and framed the factory as proof that talk of an imminent relocation is wide of the mark.

"We just opened a new factory in Silverstone," he said, speaking to the media, including RacingNews365. "Anybody who has doubts that this is a temporary facility should come and visit because it's quite impressive.

"We had Valtteri and Checo come in and have some technical meetings there and speak to the staff, and they were really impressed. So was I on the first day I walked in.

"We are effectively building some facilities in the US as well. We will progressively develop a footprint in the US, whether that's through manufacturing capability or others.

"But at the moment, all the rumours that the team will move there shortly, et cetera, are totally unfounded. And again, anyone who has doubts about this should come and visit us in Silverstone because we've built a really impressive facility there."