The Mexican was left without a seat after a bruising 2024 campaign with Red Bull, a season that ended early and not on his terms.
He said the enforced pause rebuilt his motivation and reshaped the way he views the job.
“I didn’t feel at the time [but I needed the break],” Perez told F1.com when reflecting on the period immediately after his departure.
He explained that the sport’s constant loop of contracts, races and pressure had put him “in automatic mode” until he stepped back.
“Once you are forced to step out of it like I was, you realise a lot of things and you see the sport different,” he added.
Perez admitted the final months at Red Bull took their toll, with the strain of the role eroding his enjoyment of racing.
“You have to remember that my last six months at Red Bull were very difficult for myself in all areas,” he said, adding that he began to feel “a bit of demotivation with the sport” despite not wanting that to happen.
Throughout 2025, he continued watching races, keeping tabs on the paddock, and realising he still had unfinished business.
“I realised that I missed [F1] because I kept following it,” he said.
“I realised that probably I missed it more than I thought.
“And then when the conversation started with Cadillac and we could see that passion for racing, then, yeah, I felt like I still have something left in me.”
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The 35-year-old spoke with multiple teams about a 2026 return, but Cadillac’s ambition as it builds a brand-new operation for the incoming regulations quickly made it the standout option.
He felt it was a project where he could make a meaningful impact, calling the opportunity “like a dream scenario” after 15 seasons in the sport.
“It feels great,” he said.
“After 15 years or so in Formula 1 to get that refreshment and then have all the energy again for what I see as my final stint in the sport.
“I have all the energy now to get back to it, to work with the team, to push the team forwards in all areas, on the simulator.
“It’s a new team so we’re starting basically from zero.”
Perez has already spent months embedded with Cadillac’s growing technical group, which includes personnel from several established outfits.
He has taken a hands-on role in meetings and simulator work and recently completed his first on-track running in nearly two years after testing a 2023-spec Ferrari.
“It’s been good being backwards and forwards with the team,” he said.
“I’ve been pushing on some certain areas, giving some direction.
“It’s great to have a team that you feel that you can influence and you can ask for certain things.”
With sweeping 2026 rules approaching and Cadillac entering as a brand-new operation, expectations are being managed carefully.
But Perez is adamant the team can make a strong first impression.
“I think we will be able to surprise a lot of people,” he said. “That’s a target for us, to be able to have a strong impact in Formula 1 since day one.”
He also recognised the personal weight of the challenge, describing Cadillac as the last major project of his career and one he wants to finish on his own terms.
“I see this as my main, big, final project in the sport and I want to make sure that I make it a successful comeback,” he said.
Mullets, motivation and momentum: Inside Cadillac’s F1 project
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