Max Verstappen reacts to Sergio Perez making a return to F1 with Cadillac in 2026

Max Verstappen reveals he dropped Sergio Perez a message when he found out that the Mexican was coming back to F1 with Cadillac. The Dutch driver was teammates with Perez from 2021 to 2024, a period where he won four consecutive titles.

While Max Verstappen enjoyed tremendous success during those four years, there were moments when Sergio Perez's position was in danger. At Red Bull, it's very hard to keep up with the Dutch driver because the car is built around him, and that makes it hard for the second driver to adapt.

This was in evidence when Max Verstappen was teamed up with Sergio Perez and the driver before him. This has become even clearer now with both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda struggling to keep up with the Dutch driver.

It seems even Cadillac has paid attention to the same and has picked up Sergio Perez as one of the drivers for 2026. Max Verstappen was questioned about his view on the Mexican's return, to which he said that he was happy to see him back and had dropped him a message when he found out. He said,

"When I heard the news I dropped him a message, I'm happy to see him back and he's a great guy. I'm happy to see him back on the grid, how he's gonna perform will depend on how the car is."

Max Verstappen avoids getting dragged into the Alex Palou discussion

Before the race weekend began, it had been reported that the 4x IndyCar champion had been approached by Red Bull. Even though those rumors have been denied and outright rejected, it has led to conversations on how Palou would do in F1.

The question was put to Max Verstappen, and the driver opted not to be dragged into the discourse. The driver praised Palou and felt that it was hard to make direct comparisons on how one would do in either category. He said,

"I know Alex from karting times, and what he's achieving in IndyCar is impressive. But it's impossible to know how he'd do in F1, and it's the same the other way round - how would we do in IndyCar? For me it's a waste of time to debate that, but it's great to see what he's doing in IndyCar."

The Dutch driver is racing at his home race this season, and he hasn't finished worse than P2 at this track. He would be hoping to continue that record this weekend as well.