Perez back behind the wheel as he begins two-day test at Imola for Cadillac in 2023-spec Ferrari

Sergio Perez has got his first taste of Formula 1 machinery in just under a year after beginning a two-day test in a 2023-spec Ferrari at Imola as part of his preparations to return to the grid with Cadillac next year, F1.com understands.

The Mexican endured a difficult end to a four-year stint with Red Bull which resulted in Perez ultimately reaching an agreement with the team to part ways at the end of 2024, despite having two years left on his contract. 

The 35-year-old used his first significant break from motor racing for almost two decades to spend time with family and evaluate his life goals before deciding to sign up to drive for Cadillac in the American squad's debut F1 campaign.

As a new team, Cadillac don't have a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme and thus they have come to an arrangement with engine supplier Ferrari to use one of their two-year old cars to aid Perez in getting back up to speed.

The test is also giving Cadillac a chance to build on their work in the simulator and running virtual race weekends by having some members of the race team on-site working with the Ferrari crew who run the Scuderia’s TPC programme.

Perez completed his seat fit at Maranello last week ahead of this week's test, which runs on Thursday and Friday, at Imola.

The car is running with an all-black livery, with Perez donning black overalls and a black helmet.

The test is designed to give the former Sauber, McLaren and Force India racer a refresher of F1 machinery and help him get used to protocols and procedures again while also assessing his fitness before he gets behind the wheel of the first-ever Cadillac F1 car in pre-season next January. 

"I think it's great to get the running and also the timing works perfectly because it's just before the January test," Perez, who is back to racing weight and fitness, told F1.com before getting back in the car. 

"On these two days, on the physical side, I want to see how much I've lost, where I need to work on. It will give me a very good guide for the winter, to be able to focus on that stuff.”

He added: “It is also a chance to start working together with the team, with the engineers, with the mechanics and start to speak the same language. It's definitely a great time for us.”

Since signing his deal with Cadillac in the summer break, Perez has been immersing himself in the team through regular visits to the team's UK and American bases, plus several sessions in the simulator. 

He was at the Silverstone factory on Monday for more meetings with the team plus a seat fit in their inaugural Formula 1 monocoque, which has been built to sweeping new regulations for 2026.

Following this week's test at Imola, Perez will carry out more simulator sessions, ramp up his meetings with the team and focus on a winter training block so he's ready to hit the ground running in January. 

Next year the Mexican will team up with Valtteri Bottas, who has also had a year on the sidelines as a reserve for Mercedes, with the duo oozing experience through their combined 527 Grands Prix. 

Bottas will have to wait for his first chance to work with Cadillac on-track as he is currently contracted to Mercedes until the end of the season.