Sergio Perez trying to help hire lure F1 personnel to Cadillac

Sergio Perez has stated that he's tried to 'influence' some of Cadillac's hires in its first Formula 1 season, and has offered feedback on potential targets for the team to headhunt.

The arrival of an 11th outfit in Formula 1 has expanded the job market within the championship, but this naturally comes with increased competition for engineers and staff members, one of the reasons why the established teams didn't take kindly to a new entry.

Perez, who has experience of driving for Sauber, McLaren, Force India/Racing Point and Red Bull has formed working relationships with a considerable chunk of the paddock – and thus has an idea of potential hires that he feels could offer Cadillac a significant boost.

Speaking to F1's Beyond the Grid podcast, Perez says that he does not have direct power to make decisions on new hires, but he has been willing to make suggestions to take advantage of the "appetite" for the American team.

"I mean, I obviously know a lot of good people out there, you know, I've been in this paddock for a long time," Perez said.

"I've been trying to get a few people, of course, but at the end of the day, you have to also know your position. And I am not the one that takes those decisions on who I bring and who I hire.

"It is not my role. But I obviously try to influence and try to tell the team, I mean, 'I think this guy will be good if he comes' and so on. And all I can see is that the appetite for Cadillac around the paddock is rising every time.

"And that's something good to have as a Formula 1 team."

Sergio Perez, Cadillac

Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

Perez says that the arrival of General Motors in F1 has been a considerable benefit, and it has also been beneficial for the team that the US automotive giant has motorsport experience across its other brands.

He reckoned that expertise from other championships could present fresh ways of thinking in F1, likening this to the link between McLaren's F1 team and its IndyCar outfit. 

"I do believe [in GM's operational set-up] because GM, it's a manufacturer that has done motorsport for their entire career," Perez said. "And the level of competitiveness in the US, it's extremely high.

"I mean, they've been very helpful in a lot of ways. We've been able to learn stuff from them. I think as a team, we have to be open.

"You know, there's a lot we can learn from other series, other ways of doing things. For example, McLaren was able to get advantage from their IndyCar team a few years ago with how they were treating the ride and stuff like that. So there's always room to improve and learn things.

"I think as long as you have your mechanism very clear and you are able to deliver the idea quickly to the track, then that's positive."

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- The Motorsport.com Team