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By Saajan Jogia
Sports Contributing Writer
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Red Bull's former sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, has praised former driver Sergio Perez, backing him for a Formula One return in the future. Wheatley worked closely with Perez at Red Bull and revealed how they motivated each other to push themselves further.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit ousted Perez after the 2024 season due to performance concerns. The Mexican driver struggled with the RB20 car due to balance problems, which even affected his teammate Max Verstappen following the summer break.
Despite the car's issues, Verstappen's talent behind the wheel enabled him to win his fourth championship, but Perez found the car too difficult to drive. Now, Perez has chosen to remain away from premier class of racing but is reportedly in talks with the Cadillac F1 team for 2026.
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The 35-year-old driver revealed that he was interested in returning to the sport only if he believed in the project. Wheatley opened up to F1 about Perez's performance, revealing that he had no doubts about his capabilities as a racing driver. He said:
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"Firstly, I really enjoyed working with Checo. He's a great personality, great attitude to life, full stop.
"I have no doubt about his pace and his speed. It's been natural since the beginning.
"He put in some tremendous drives at my former team and I don't think it's much of a barrier that he's had a bit of time off between driving a Formula 1 car because when you know how to do that, you know how to do it."
Wheatley then detailed how Perez pushed him during his time at Red Bull, which made him better at his job. The former sporting director's expertise led him to secure the role of team principal at Sauber, an outfit that will be taken over by Audi in 2026. Wheatley said:
"I spent a lot of time with him early on because I wanted to get to know him and I wanted him to adjust to the team. What I really liked was he pushed me in my sporting role – pushed me very, very hard.
"He made me question whether I was putting every bit of effort in, not that he was criticising but he would challenge you in a positive way and I enjoyed it.
"I think it helped motivate me to become better at my job and I'd like to think maybe it was reciprocal and the work that we did together made him better at his."
He added:
"He's fully focused on performance and what do you want from a driver?"
With Cadillac seeking an experienced driver to fill one of its seats next year, Perez could likely seal a deal in the coming months if he is shortlisted.
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