Sergio Perez made a revelation about the behind the scenes at Red Bull Racing and explained why he considers it so difficult to be a teammate of Max Verstappen in Formula 1. The Mexican stated that the team structure has always been built around the four-time world champion and issued a warning to whoever takes the second car: “The system will destroy you.”
Read more F1: Ex-driver sees Verstappen and Antonelli as the ideal duo at Mercedes
Perez defended Red Bull between 2021 and 2024 and believes he delivered results beyond expectations during his time with the team. In addition to winning six races, he helped the team secure two constructors’ titles and contributed to Verstappen’s four consecutive championships.
In an interview with the High Performance Podcast, the Mexican driver said he knew exactly the scenario he would face when signing with Red Bull: “It was great, it was fantastic. I knew I was entering a project built for Max. When they hired me, that was very clear. I knew exactly what I was getting into,” he said.
According to Perez, this philosophy was presented right in his first conversation with Christian Horner, the team’s former boss: “The first time I met Christian, he told me: ‘We run two cars because we need to, otherwise we would be very happy to run just one.’ The whole project was focused on Max,” he revealed.
Read more F1: Ferrari sees Hamilton’s comeback as a result of adjustments
Even in this context, the Mexican said he preferred to make the most of the opportunity rather than complain about the circumstances: “I thought I would make the most of what was available and I believe I delivered beyond expectations in all areas. It worked perfectly,” he said. Still, he acknowledged facing difficult moments due to internal pressure and the environment created after the team’s great success.
Perez also said that his contribution only became more valued after his departure from Red Bull at the end of 2024. According to him, the difficulties later faced by Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda reinforced his perception: “Only when I left and they brought other drivers did they realize the work I did during those four years,” he added.
Currently at Cadillac after being out of Formula 1 in 2025, Perez believes that facing Verstappen is already a challenge in any team, but considers the mission even more complicated within Red Bull: “Facing Max at Red Bull is the hardest. You need to have the best in all areas, but you simply don’t have that, while he does. All opportunities in terms of engineering, including the most experienced engineers, go to Max,” the Mexican driver concluded.
Read more F1: British media points to advanced negotiations between Verstappen and McLaren for 2027
