Perez targets podium return with new team Cadillac

LONDON :Race winner Sergio Perez reckons he can get back onto the Formula One podium with Cadillac, even if the sport's newest team will likely also be the slowest when they debut next season.

The Mexican and his Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas are not short of experience, with a combined 527 starts and 16 grand prix victories, but at 36 both will be returning from an involuntary year on the sidelines.

Perez, dropped as Max Verstappen's Red Bull teammate at the end of 2023, has 39 career podiums and sees no reason why he cannot take his tally to 40 before he finally calls it a day.

"Yes, I think so. I really believe it," the former Sauber, McLaren and Force India/Racing Point driver told Reuters from Cadillac's Silverstone factory where he was having a seat-fit for the team's 2026 car.

"I think I've been on the podium with all the teams I drove for, except McLaren," he added.

"I think we're going to start at the back, progressively move forward. But ultimately, in the near future, that (the podium) is a target.

"It doesn't matter who gets there, as long as it's Cadillac."

TEST RUN IN 2023 FERRARI

Backed by General Motors, the U.S.-owned team are well-funded and staffed, recruiting several familiar names from other established teams and with more than 400 people on board already and a target of about 600.

Preparations are on schedule and Perez will drive a 2023 Ferrari at Imola this month to shake off some cobwebs and give the team a chance to gel, even if many of the faces are already familiar.

"I'm curious, you know, to find out how many laps my neck will do before it gets destroyed," said the Mexican, already flexing his muscles on the video call.

"But it's great, you know. It's a great test and a great way to finish the year