Summary
Sergio Perez contacted Alpine's Flavio Briatore before finalizing his move to Cadillac's F1 team for 2026. While linked to Alpine due to its uncertain driver lineup, Perez decided on Cadillac, with Valtteri Bottas also joining the team. Briatore confirmed talks with Perez but said he couldn’t offer a deal at the time.
Key Facts
- Sergio Perez will join the Cadillac F1 team for the 2026 season.
- Before the move, Perez called Flavio Briatore of the Alpine team.
- Both Perez and Valtteri Bottas were considered for Alpine's team.
- Alpine's current driver, Franco Colapinto, replaced Jack Doohan earlier due to performance issues.
- Bottas may have secured a Cadillac seat partly due to rumors linking him with Alpine.
- Alpine will switch from being a factory team to a Mercedes customer team by 2026.
- Briatore noted that young drivers face extra pressure in a factory team like Alpine.
