Checo Pérez (Sergio “Checo” Pérez) didn’t disappear from racing – his story over the last couple of seasons is more of a rough patch, an exit from Red Bull, and then a comeback move for 2026.

Quick Scoop: What happened to Checo Pérez?

  • He had a very difficult 2023–2024 run at Red Bull, with poor qualifying, few podiums, and several costly mistakes and retirements, including a high‑profile spin and DNF at the 2024 Qatar GP that summed up his bad form.
  • After that tough 2024 season, Red Bull parted ways with him at the end of the year, despite him previously having a contract that nominally ran longer.
  • He then dropped off the F1 grid for 2025, spending time with his family and evaluating options while keeping in shape for a possible return.
  • Behind the scenes he entered talks with new F1 entrant Cadillac and other teams for a 2026 comeback.
  • By mid‑/late‑2025 it was confirmed that Checo would return to Formula 1 in 2026 with the new Cadillac F1 Team on a multi‑year deal, alongside Valtteri Bottas.

So, in short: Checo went through a slump, lost his Red Bull seat, sat out 2025, and is now coming back as a lead veteran for Cadillac in 2026.

From Red Bull struggles to exit

Checo’s issues started showing clearly through 2023 and became very hard to ignore in 2024. Media and fans pointed to a long stretch without wins, weak qualifying, and no podiums over many races, even while Verstappen kept dominating.

Some key points people on forums and news sites highlight:

  • No first‑place finishes over about 18 months and more than 40 races.
  • A string of poor qualifying sessions that left him starting far back on the grid.
  • Several retirements in 2024, including the Qatar GP spin and DNF under safety‑car conditions, which looked particularly bad to viewers.

This form hurt Red Bull’s constructors’ campaign, and speculation grew that the team would not keep him for 2025 even though a contract extension had been reported.

The Qatar GP low point

A lot of fans asking “what happened to Checo Pérez?” specifically refer to that strange Qatar GP retirement.

  • He started in the top ten and moved up into solid points before things went wrong after a pit stop under the second safety car.
  • On the restart, his hard tyres weren’t up to temperature, and combined with a reported engine/clutch‑related issue, he spun and ended up out of the race.
  • Stewards initially investigated it as potentially dangerous driving, but the final report blamed a clutch failure and did not penalize him further.

That race became a symbol of his 2024 season: promising runs undone by errors or technical issues, feeding the narrative that “something’s broken” in his partnership with Red Bull.

Leaving Red Bull and sitting out 2025

By late 2024, it was officially confirmed that Checo would leave Red Bull at the end of the season after a “terribly difficult” year, despite the earlier contract that had seemed to secure his place.

After losing the Red Bull seat:

  • He dropped off the F1 grid for 2025 rather than grabbing any available backmarker drive.
  • Reports describe him spending more time in Guadalajara with his family, staying fit and training, and waiting for a serious project that matched his experience and ambitions.

So if you looked at the 2025 F1 grid and wondered “where’s Checo?” — he simply wasn’t racing that year, essentially on a sabbatical from F1 competition.

The Cadillac 2026 comeback

The next chapter explains why Checo is very much still in the picture.

  • In 2025, new 2026 entrant Cadillac began talks with him about becoming one of their debut drivers.
  • Negotiations focused on a multi‑year deal; reports said at least two seasons with an option for a third.
  • By August 2025, Cadillac and official F1 outlets confirmed that Sergio “Checo” Pérez and Valtteri Bottas would form the team’s inaugural driver line‑up for 2026.

Checo has already:

  • Carried out testing work, including running a Ferrari SF‑23 as part of Cadillac’s 2026 power‑unit and chassis preparations.
  • Spoken publicly about his confidence that Cadillac can “surprise” the grid and his goal to fight for strong positions soon after joining.

In other words, “what happened to Checo Pérez?” is less “he vanished” and more:

Rough Red Bull years → speculation and criticism → exit at end of 2024 → year out in 2025 → veteran comeback spearheading Cadillac’s 2026 F1 entry.

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