‘Everything I did while at Red Bull with Max Verstappen was wrong’ | F1 | Sport

Sergio Perez has opened up on his Red Bull nightmare and claimed «pretty much everything» he did during his time as team-mate to Max Verstappen «was a problem». The Mexican spent four years as team-mate to the Dutchman who won the drivers’ title in each of those campaign and, while he started well enough and won a handful of races, it eventually ended the same way as it does for every driver put up against Verstappen at Red Bull.

The 2024 season was Perez’s final year at Red Bull and, although it started well enough, things began to sour after the first few rounds and following the signing of a contract extension. Having started the campaign with four podiums from five Grands Prix, Perez did not record another top-three finish all year and was eventually dumped in December, having scored just nine points across his final eight race weekends.

Verstappen is undoubtedly the star of the show and Perez often hinted his belief that upgrades to their cars were always in favour of the Dutchman. That was the explanation he would usually give when his form nosedived and, indeed, Perez spent much of that final season at Red Bull complaining about his car which he felt had been developed away from his preferences.

Reflecting on his split from the team, the Mexican racer told the Crack podcast: «We had the best team. Unfortunately everything fell apart. We had the team to dominate the sport for the next 10 years, I think. And unfortunately it all ended.

«I was in the best team, in a complicated team, right? Because being Max’s team-mate at Red Bull is already very difficult, but being Max’s team-mate at Red Bull is the best and the worst job in F1, by far.

«And well, everyone forgot, right? When I arrived at Red Bull, I started getting results, everything. Everyone forgot how difficult it was to be in that seat. And I was very aware of what I was getting into – I was arriving at Red Bull to compete against one of the best.»

But when asked what he felt he was doing wrong at his lowest points in Red Bull overalls, Perez claimed the situation was such that he was always causing issues, whether he was quick or not. He added: «Everything, pretty much everything. At Red Bull everything was a problem.

«If I was very fast, it was a problem, because of course it created a very tense environment at Red Bull. If I was faster than Max, it was a problem. If I was slower than Max, it was a problem. So everything was a problem. So I also learned a lot, right? That, well, the circumstances I’m in, instead of complaining, I have to make the best of it and get the most out of it.»

Perez spent 2025 on the sidelines and used the year to recharge ahead of his return to F1 this year with debutants Cadillac. As the newest team on the grid, the American outfit has low expectations in terms of results and so the Mexican will find himself in a refreshingly low-pressure environment compared to his last taste of the sport.