Our insider hears what F1 paddock thinks about return of two ousted drivers

One of the biggest talking points from a wet Zandvoort paddock on Thursday's media day was the return of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez for F1 2026.

Ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Cadillac confirmed the double signing of Bottas and Perez to form a highly-experienced driver line-up for their debut F1 campaign next year.

F1’s drivers told media including Crash.net their views on the return of two rivals who have spent 2025 on the sidelines after losing their seats at the end of last season…

Max Verstappen

"When I saw the news come out, I sent a message to him [Perez]. I’m very happy for him that he got a seat. He's a great guy, and we always got along very well. So I'm happy to see him back on the grid. How he's going to perform will also depend on how good the car is going to be. It's a bit difficult to say at the moment, but it's a new opportunity and I'm sure he's very excited for it."

Lewis Hamilton

“I’m really happy for Valtteri. He’s a good friend and he really deserves to be back. I know he’s got plenty of experience that he will be able to bring to any team.”

George Russell

“I'm very happy for Valtteri. He definitely deserves to be back on the grid. I flew with him this morning here, so I said congratulations, then the birthday cake arrives. I didn't even realise it was his birthday as well! So a lot going on for him but yeah, happy.”

Fernando Alonso

“We are all friends and we know each other. All of them deserve the Formula 1 seat. They prove it and they have the talent. Unfortunately as always in F1, there is only 22 seats. He [Felipe Drugovich] deserves maybe to have a go, but I take the positives from the news.

“Having Checo and Valtteri is good news for the sport, it is good news for them. I am happy for them. Happy Birthday to Valtteri as well, it’s been a good week for him. I’m happy for them but as usual when there is this kind of news then you think the test drivers are not getting the chance. But this is not an academy or a charity thing, it’s only [for] the best.”

Kimi Antonelli

“I'm really happy he's been able to find a seat for next year. So he's going to be back on the grid. For sure, you're going to miss him because he's been very supportive and he's going to still be in the team until the end of the season, so that's good. But of course, it's a bit sad. But obviously, I'm super happy for him and he fully deserves it.”

Alex Albon

“I would say one of the benefits of my year [on the sidelines] – and I think also to Checo’s and Valtteri’s – is the regulation reset. You don’t have the drivers carrying all the experience from the last few years of the car’s regulations, so it’s a bit more of a level playing field once you return.

"I don’t know how involved they were in terms of keeping sharp – training, driving, and so on. I remember during my year, I was doing some Pirelli tests and a lot of simulator work, which definitely helped. I think we’re in slightly different positions because they have a lot more experience and can probably get away with not doing as much.

“My year was a bit more about learning and making sure I was as prepared as possible for my Williams seat. I don’t think with their experience they’ll have missed out too much – they’ll fall back into the swing of things pretty quickly.”

Pierre Gasly

“I think it’s amazing for the sport. They are great characters of our sport over the last 10 years or so. They’ve been fighting at the front of the grid, they’ve been working with top teams and been winning. It’s a great addition. It was sad to see them leave. Obviously we have a lot of young drivers coming and you need space for it but I think adding two cars on the grid, they are probably the two drivers who make the most sense to be joining. They are great to fight with and I'm happy for them.”  

Esteban Ocon

"Familiar faces, drivers I've been racing with for my whole career, pretty much. It's great to see Checo back; I was teaming up with him for, for two years, so it's great to see him back on the grid and Valtteri, I think both of them deserve to be there.

"[A comeback] is not easy for sure, but I think with such a level of experience, it shouldn't take them too long to get back up to speed they've had hundreds of races.

"They know how a team works. They know how Formula One works. Also, we are going to have much more testing before we get back to racing with a new era of cars. Everybody's going to learn and that's going to be easier for the guys coming back than normal, than if you just take the train while it's still moving."

Franco Colapinto

“I love Checo and he was the driver I was cheering for when I was very young. At the end of the day, he was the one closest to Argentina. Mexico and Argentina are close together and he was the one I was cheering for. It’s great to see him back in the sport. We miss him a lot, so I'm very happy for him to be back in F1 and to see him again will be great, so can’t wait for next year.”

Nico Hulkenberg

"I obviously had quite a lot of time out, three years instead of one. I think it all depends how competitive their package will be also, it's all linked to that. But I think it's probably positive and refreshing for him [Perez] to disconnect and to watch it all with some good distance from the comfort of your couch at home. It's quite an interesting experience, so I'm sure it was good for him and that he feels - well I know that he feels charged and still ready to go.”

Oliver Bearman

“It makes sense to go with two guys who are known quantities within the sport. Taking a rookie is of course a bigger risk than taking two guys with a lot of experience. But I do think there are a lot of people not on this grid who have a huge amount of talent and should have the opportunity to show what they can do.

“Felipe [Drugovich] is one of them. At the top of every category, there are a lot of great IndyCar drivers who would do a good job here. But that decision makes sense. If I was at the top of an F1 team starting out from nothing, I would do the same, I think.”