Mexican driver Sergio Perez is beginning to make his case that he deserves to return to Formula 1 next season.

Sergio Perez was dropped by Red Bull at the end of last season despite having a contract that ran until the end of the 2026 campaign.

Team principal Christian Horner decided he could no longer commit to the six-time race winner after a disappointing campaign where he finished nearly 300 points behind Max Verstappen.

However, the difficulties that Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have faced this season have shown that the 35-year-old was doing a far better job than many people realised.

Perez believes Red Bull regret dropping him, although, without Lawson and Tsunoda’s struggles being clear to see this year, retaining the Mexican would have looked equally perplexing.

Verstappen has spoken up about Perez’s chance of returning to Formula 1, and reports from Mexico suggest that he’s a man in demand.

Journalist Diego Mejia has revealed the latest information he’s heard on Perez’s future, with a handful of teams yet to confirm their line-ups for next season.

Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Sergio Perez’s ‘real’ 2026 F1 options are at Cadillac and Alpine

Mejia was speaking during free practice at the Austrian Grand Prix on the Fox Sports Mexico broadcast and said: “What I know is that there has been contact with four teams, but there really is an option at maybe half of those four, two.

“Regarding Alpine, it seems a bit turbulent to me right now because there’s no clear direction.

“Luca de Meo is resigning, and we don’t know what’s going to happen with Flavio Briatore because Luca de Meo brought him in.”

A report from Record has gone on to say that Alpine and Cadillac are known to be Perez’s ‘real’ options for next season.

The 35-year-old doesn’t appear to be close to signing a new deal with either team, with Perez potentially behind Valtteri Bottas in Cadillac’s thinking.

Mercedes have been linked with Perez going into next season, although it would be a huge surprise if Toto Wolff decided to opt for the Mexican.

The identity of the fourth team with an interest in Perez isn’t known, but it’s hard to look past F1’s newest team and Alpine as his best chances of returning to the sport.

Sergio Perez reveals Alex Albon dig during Red Bull negotiations

When Perez signed for Red Bull at the beginning of the 2021 F1 season, it’s unlikely that he would have thought it was going to be the beginning of the end of his stint on the grid.

Verstappen had humbled Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, but Perez was already a race winner when he arrived at the Anglo-Austrian team.

Perez revealed a dig Red Bull made at Albon during contract negotiations, suggesting they would prefer to only run one car.

By the end of his time with Red Bull, Perez was in a similar position to the Thai driver when it came to battling with Verstappen.

Cadillac will be happy to look past that as they establish themselves in Formula 1, with Perez’s experience being invaluable to the team’s progress.

Alpine are in a much more interesting situation, with Flavio Briatore still unsure about his driver line-up for 2026.