Sergio Perez could emulate Fernando Alonso’s comeback (Image: Getty)
Antonio Perez Garibay has backed his son, , to follow in the footsteps of and secure an F1 comeback in 2026. The Mexican racer was dropped by in 2024 and will spend the upcoming campaign on the sidelines.
Perez’s 2024 season was nothing short of miserable. The six-time Grand Prix winner failed to score a podium after the fifth race of the season and ended the year eighth in the Drivers’ Championship standings, while team-mate won the title.
After the season finale in Abu Dhabi, and Helmut Marko opted to drop Perez from their line-up, replacing the 34-year-old with Liam Lawson, who has made just 11 Grand Prix starts heading into his first full season as an F1 driver. Checo, meanwhile, will sit the year out.
However, according to his father, his F1 prospects are not over for good. “As he said, he will wait these six months,” Perez Snr told Esto. “If a good opportunity comes, he will take it. Look at how many Formula One drivers have taken a sabbatical and how they come back.
“Lauda did it, Kimi Raikkonen did it, Fernando Alonso did it. Many drivers have done it and they come back stronger than ever. I have no doubt that a good opportunity will come for Checo to come back for several more years. He deserves to say goodbye like the greats.”
If he does decide to target an F1 return, Perez’s most compelling option would be the new Cadillac F1 Team, who would see his Latin American commercial connections as an added bonus alongside his extensive open-wheel experience.
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Antonio Perez has backed his son to return to the F1 grid (Image: Getty)
For now, though, Perez is enjoying the time away from the limelight. “He is experiencing something he had never experienced before, something he didn’t know about, which was the issue of family and family commitments with his children,” his father continued.
“Being able to accompany ‘Chequito’ to his entire soccer tournament throughout the country, where ‘Chequito’ will be competing, where he never had that support since he was little because of his father’s commitments.
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“But today, they are all together walking a wonderful family journey. Checo has been racing go-karts since he was eight years old, and he has been racing cars every weekend until today, when he stopped participating in Formula One.
“Otherwise, by now, he would be dealing with the whole practice issue, he would be on top of the issue of uniforms, caps, the whole issue of sponsors, merchandising. So today there is a relaxation, you have to take it easy. The truth is that I am very grateful to God and to life for so much.”