Sergio Pérez has reflected on his turbulent career at Red Bull. The Mexican drove alongside Max Verstappen for four years and saw his teammate win four consecutive world titles during that period. At the beginning of the partnership, Checo played an important supporting role, but when he later wanted to make a bid for the championship himself, he could not compete against the Dutchman. In a new interview, Pérez admits that Red Bull revolved entirely around Verstappen in those years.
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During a guest appearance on the High Performance podcast, Pérez says he was ‘completely on his own’ during his time at Red Bull. “I was supported to a certain extent; if I won a race, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko were certainly pleased, but I was constantly reminded that the project was actually centered around Max Verstappen,” said the Mexican. “Max had the most experienced engineers; everything was built around him. But basically, I already knew that before I joined Red Bull.”
Verstappen had already gone through several teammates in the previous years. Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, now regulars on the Formula 1 grid, paled in comparison to the Dutchman. With Pérez, Red Bull also broke with the habit of promoting young drivers from their own academy. The gamble on an experienced driver initially paid off: in his first season, Checo played a crucial supporting role in securing Verstappen’s first world title.
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‘Upgrades made the gap bigger’
In the following years, Pérez increasingly tried to challenge his teammate in the fight for victory. This earned him some wins, but he never posed a serious threat to Verstappen. “There were seasons when I was close to Max, but every time upgrades came, the gap grew,” Pérez noted. “Of course, Max is also just an incredible driver. He taught me how to lead a team and raise my level, even though I didn’t always have the right resources. But when I left and other drivers came in, people only then realized how much work I put in during those four years.”
Pérez was succeeded last year by Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda in turn. They also could not keep up with Verstappen, although Red Bull itself also took a step back during that period.
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