Perez may also have one eye on 2026, with the new Cadillac team already hinting that they will want an experienced F1 racer to sit alongside a young American star when they join the grid. With 281 grand prix starts, 36 podiums and six grand prix victories, Perez certainly fits the bill of being an experienced F1 driver.

Had Dietrich Mateschitz still been at the Red Bull helm when the F1 2024 in-fighting broke out, he would have soon nipped it in the bud. That is the claim of Red Bull’s reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen,

Red Bull were uncharacteristically undeveloped last year, failing to introduce significant solutions to the RB20. Thanks to McLaren’s unforced errors and moments of brilliance from Verstappen, they managed to clinch the drivers’ crown.