SERGIO PÉREZ OPENS UP ABOUT RED BULL: “EVERYTHING IN THE TEAM WAS A PROBLEM”
It comes as no surprise that Sergio Pérez struggled during his time at Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen. However, new details from the Mexican driver have now shed further light on what he describes as a deeply complicated and restrictive environment within the Austrian team.
In an interview on The Cracks Podcast, hosted on Oso Trava’s YouTube channel, Pérez spoke candidly about the challenges he faced during his stint at Red Bull, particularly at the team’s Milton Keynes headquarters.
Pérez confirmed what many Formula 1 fans have long suspected: Red Bull is fundamentally built around Max Verstappen.
According to Pérez, Christian Horner was clear about this reality:
“Christian Horner told me, ‘We’re going to race with two cars because we have to have two cars, but this project was created for Max. He’s our talent.’”
Checo went on to describe being Verstappen’s teammate as “the worst job in F1 by far.” He explained that no matter his performance level, it always seemed to work against him:
“If I was faster than Max, it was a problem because I was creating a tense atmosphere.
If I was slower than Max, it was a problem.
Therefore, everything at Red Bull was a problem.”
Pérez also spoke about his relationship with Verstappen, making a distinction between the person and the competitor:
“Verstappen? Incredible talent. The problem is his temperament. Max is an excellent person, but something happens when he’s in the car. He transforms, he becomes a different person.”
He referenced the infamous Brazil 2022 incident, suggesting it revealed something that had been buried:
“I think he had something inside him that he had never let out. We had talked about it and thought the problem was behind us. The whole team thought so. That’s why we were all surprised when he brought it up at that moment.”
Pérez also revealed details of his final conversation with Christian Horner, highlighting Red Bull’s apparent acceptance of constant driver turnover:
“I told him, ‘What are you going to do when it doesn’t work with Liam?’
Horner said, ‘We have Yuki.’
I asked, ‘And what are you going to do when it doesn’t work with Yuki?’
He replied, ‘We have a lot of drivers.’
I said, ‘Well, you’re going to use all of them.’
He answered, ‘Yeah, I know.’”
Finally, Pérez pointed to a specific technical moment that he believes changed the course of his season:
“In Baku (2024), the team changed the floor and I was one second faster than everyone else. I was doing very well, I was going to win that race, until Sainz hit me and the car was destroyed. I never saw that floor again. From there, I was about five races behind in updates.”
Reflecting on what could have been, Pérez added:
“What would have happened if I had that car for the rest of the season? Who knows. I also think everything has a purpose.”
Pérez’s comments show a team completely built around one exceptional driver, but at the cost of making life extremely difficult for anyone racing alongside him. While Verstappen’s talent is beyond doubt, Pérez suggests that Red Bull’s structure and internal culture leave little space for fairness or real competition between teammates.
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