Sergio Pérez reflected on a challenging but encouraging 2026 F1 Dutch GP weekend after recovering from a pit lane start to finish P15 at Zandvoort. The Mexican driver’s Cadillac was sent to the back of the field following a parc fermé breach, yet he still managed to salvage a respectable result from the final Dutch Grand Prix.
Pérez’s 2026 F1 Dutch GP proved to be an eventful weekend for the Cadillac driver, who spoke afterwards about his pit lane start, a mid-race Virtual Safety Car that cost his team a strategic opportunity, and his early impressions of new Team Principal Marcin Budkowski. He also touched on his expectations heading into the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Pérez explains pit lane recovery at 2026 Dutch Grand Prix
Cadillac made suspension changes to Perez’s car after a difficult qualifying session, forcing him to start from the pit lane in breach of parc fermé regulations. Despite the setback, Perez insisted the decision proved worthwhile once the race got underway.
“I think it was the right decision to start from the pit lane because that proved to be… I think we made some good progress. Our pace was very strong.”
Pérez explained that he initially found himself held up by Valtteri Bottas, his own teammate, during the opening stint before finding a way past via an overcut.
“On the first stint, I was stuck behind Valtteri, but we managed to overcut him.”
Virtual Safety Car proves costly for Cadillac at 2026 F1 Dutch GP
Pérez suggested that his race could have yielded a better overall race time had his team been able to capitalise on a Virtual Safety Car period.
He explained that Cadillac had an opportunity to pit under those conditions when Esteban Ocon broke down but was ultimately unable to take advantage of it.
“That second stint looked quite a lot more promising, but the gap already was on the high side. In the end, we were a bit unlucky because we lost the virtual safety car, unfortunately. We had an opportunity to have a box under the VSC.”
Despite this, Pérez pointed to a positive conclusion, noting that he finished ahead of a Williams car that suffered its own issues during the race as Carlos Sainz hit Alex Albon.
“At the end, we managed to finish ahead with the issue they had, the one Williams. So, it was promising.”
When asked about managing blue flags, Pérez explained how tricky it was to get out of the way at times due to the nature of the Zandvoort circuit.
“You’re always trying your best at the same time. You don’t want to make them lose time, and I don’t want to lose time. It’s probably the spot that they got me that made it a little bit more harder.”
Pérez also addressed confusion around a red light signal on pit exit during the race, admitting he was unsure what had caused it.
“I don’t know what was going on. I was third or fourth down. All I could see was the red light, and then they got the green light. I don’t know what was that.”
Pérez praises Budkowski after first race weekend together
Pérez was also asked about his first weekend working alongside Cadillac’s new Team Principal, Marcin Budkowski, who replaced Graeme Lowdon ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. He praised the leadership already on display, describing a positive early impression of the direction the team is heading in.
“I think Marcin has already put his input. I think we could all see that he’s a great leader. He’s working flat out, from what I can see. I think he’s very soon going to start to put all his input into the project. I’m very happy with how he’s leading the project.”
