Sergio Perez has disclosed that former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner informed him during their first meeting that the team would ideally compete with only Max Verstappen. The revelation comes as part of Perez's broader reflection on his four-year tenure as Verstappen's teammate, during which he was consistently outperformed.
Perez's Time at Red Bull
Perez joined Red Bull for the 2021 season after losing his seat at Racing Point, which rebranded to Aston Martin and signed four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. Over the next four seasons, Verstappen won the drivers' championship each year, while Perez managed five Grand Prix victories but never challenged for the title.
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Perez recounted Horner's frank assessment: "The first time I met Christian, he told me, 'We go racing with two cars because we have to, otherwise we would be super happy just to race with one car. Everything is for Max, around Max. We want to win the championship.'"
Perez's Perspective
Perez stated he accepted the situation and made the most of it: "I went there with the tools available, that I had to my expense. I think I overdelivered in all areas over there. It worked out perfectly." He acknowledged tough periods, especially toward the end, attributing internal friction to the team's excessive success: "So people got bored, I think, and they were fighting each other and all the drama around the end, but they were four fantastic years."
He added: "I overdelivered, and only once I left and they brought in all the other drivers did they realise the job that I have done for them over four years."
Final Season and Axing
Perez struggled significantly in his final season, 2024, and was at risk of being dropped before the summer break. However, he was temporarily saved because potential replacement Daniel Ricciardo was also underperforming at the junior team Racing Bulls. Days after the season ended, Red Bull confirmed Perez's departure.
Without a seat for 2025, Perez took a full year away from racing. This break allowed him to join Cadillac last summer as one of their two drivers for their inaugural Formula 1 season in 2026.
