Sergio Perez receives F1 champion backing for 'deserved' return

Nigel Mansell has backed Sergio Perez to make a "deserved" return to the F1 grid next season in one of the two available Cadillac seats. 

Perez has been a rumoured leading contender for one of the spots at Cadillac since it was granted the 11th team spot earlier this year, as has current Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas. 

Since parting ways with Red Bull at the end of last season, Perez is yet to make a return to motorsport but has outlined his intent on making an F1 comeback. 

The Mexican's departure from the pinnacle of motorsport came after a dreadful 2024 campaign, which saw him unable to support Max Verstappen in the team's bid to defend the constructors' title. 

Perez was a shadow of the driver he was in 2023, where he sealed second in the drivers' standings and helped Red Bull score a record-breaking 860 points. 

Mansell, the 1992 F1 champion, is unsure what exactly Cadillac is after for its first F1 driver pairing, but would like to see Perez handed a second chance. 

"It depends on the team principals and their mandate for the first couple of years. It will be a steep learning curve," Mansell told wettfreunde.

"There are very few people who know the business side of F1 inside out, so you’ve got to have some people steering the ship that know what they’re doing, otherwise you can end up spending a fortune in money and go the wrong way, and you won’t be competitive. 

"You can be made to look a very serious underdog, and you’re floundering and thinking, ‘Was this a good idea?’

"Hopefully, there are some clever people there who plan their strategy well. They need, in the first year, some experienced drivers to give them feedback so they know what they need to be as competitive as they can be.

"Checo Perez deserves another opportunity. He’s very experienced, and the year before last he drove superbly, helping Max enormously to win the title. There’s one for you. I’m not sure whether America may want an American driver, too."