F1 driver thinking about leaving his team after only five races
A big name on the 2026 Formula One grid might be thinking about leaving his team, as several rivals show interest.
Even though the 2026 F1 season has faced some setbacks with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix being canceled, there’s still been plenty happening. After five races, Mercedes young star Kimi Antonelli is leading the Drivers’ Championship with 131 points, thanks to four wins and five podium finishes. His teammate George Russell is in second with 88 points, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are third and fourth.
One team that hasn’t had a great start is Cadillac, the newest team on the grid. They’re currently at the bottom of the standings, tied with Aston Martin, as both Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez haven’t scored any points yet.
Still, Dutch F1 journalist Jacky Martins says it will be ‘very hard’ for Cadillac to keep Perez because several teams are interested in signing the experienced driver. If Perez gets a chance to move to a team higher up the grid, he’d likely take it.
“I know there is interest from some teams,” Martens said on the Paddock Access podcast. “More than one. Cadillac would love to keep him, but it’s going to be very hard. If he can get a promotion to a better team, of course he would consider it.”
So far, Perez hasn’t finished above 16th place this season, and his recent Canadian Grand Prix ended early because of a suspension problem.
Rumors about Perez leaving Cadillac come shortly after reports that Bottas might lose his seat due to his performance this year. If Bottas does leave, it’s expected Cadillac will bring in their test driver and rising star, American Colton Herta.
If Perez leaves before Bottas, then Herta might take Perez’s spot instead, with Bottas staying as the senior driver. In his last race in Montreal, Herta finished ninth in the sprint and seventh in the main race, moving him to 12th place in the overall 22-driver standings.