Former Haas team boss, Guenther Steiner believes Cadillac would benefit by hiring Sergio Perez for its debut season.
Dropped by Red Bull the Mexican says he wants to spend time with his family before making a decision on his future later in the year, however, behind the scenes you can bet that he has been working frantically to return to the grid.
Red Bull finally lost patience following a disastrous season for the Mexican, whose failure to raise his game partly contributed to the Austrian team slipping to third in the constructor standings.
Steiner believes that Perez still has a lot to offer the sport, and feels that if Cadillac is considering putting a rookie in one of its cars, the new team would benefit from the Mexican’s experience.
“If you’re Cadillac, you need somebody experienced,” he tells GPblog. “Checo has been in quite a few teams for a long time. He knows his way around. He could be a big help.
“Maybe put him on a one-year contract,” adds the Italian, “it’s a lot better than having old rookies in there. That’s an opportunity for Checo.
“And by then, a year of digesting the beating from Max, he recovers from the Dutch beating, so it could bring him to a better place again. I would say he could have value for Cadillac.”
Other than the “Dutch beating”, it is well known that Perez was unhappy with the RB20, which, apart from its various issues, better suited his world champion teammate.
“I don’t want to be cynical here, but he was up at the front of the grid last year,” says Steiner, referring to the early stages of last season.
“However, we need to be realistic,” he admits. “Fighting for one point because the car cannot be better is one thing, but fighting for one point when your team-mate with the same car is winning races puts you in a different headspace, it’s a different pressure.
“Checo was very good when he was at Force India, whatever it was called, Racing Point. He always over delivered as an underdog. He just couldn’t keep up with the pressure of the top team.
“Maybe it’s his comfort zone where he has not got that pressure to need to show that he’s good by winning, by showing that ‘I can make a point’, maybe that puts him in a better place.”
Meanwhile, Mario Andretti, while admitting that an experienced (F1) driver will be necessary, admits that having an American in one of the cars is vital, and that Colton Herta is probably the best option
“He’s definitely one that’s considered,” he tells NBC News. “From our standpoint, I think the play at the beginning would be to have one experienced driver, nationality doesn’t matter, and then a young American talent.
“These are the objectives at the moment,” he adds.
