Sergio Perez says sharing a garage with Max Verstappen at Red Bull was the toughest position in Formula 1, reflecting on a tense four-year spell that ended early. Perez believes the pressure around Verstappen affected
the whole team and damaged long-term plans, even though Red Bull won multiple titles during that time.
The Mexican driver left Red Bull ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season after a difficult 2024 campaign, despite signing a new deal in June 2024. Perez then agreed terms to join the Cadillac Formula 1 entry for 2026, returning to the grid two years after his split from Red Bull.
Perez explained that success on track did not remove tension within the organisation. "I was on the best team, but it was complicated because being Max's teammate at Red Bull is the worst job there is in F1," Perez told a podcast with Oswaldo Trava. "I knew what I was up against. "
Perez said problems appeared no matter how competitive he or Verstappen were across race weekends. "At Red Bull everything was a problem; if I was faster than Max it was a problem, a very tense atmosphere was created. It was a problem if you were faster than Max. If you were too slow and Max was slow, then everything was a problem. "
Perez moved from Racing Point to Red Bull in 2021 and spent four seasons alongside Verstappen. During that spell, Perez supported Verstappen’s run to four consecutive Drivers' Championship titles and contributed to a dominant 2023 season, when Red Bull won 21 of 22 grands prix.
In 2023, Perez finished second in the drivers' standings but trailed Verstappen heavily in victories. Perez collected two wins that year, while Verstappen recorded 19. Across all four seasons with Red Bull, Perez secured five race wins, three pole positions, 29 podiums and scored 932 championship points.
Form dropped sharply after Perez extended the contract in June 2024. Over the final eight grands prix of that season, Perez managed only nine points. Four of Perez's 37 Formula 1 retirements came that year; only 2012 brought more, with six, while there were also four retirements in 2014.
Red Bull’s results also slipped during Perez’s last full season with the outfit. Perez ended the 2024 championship eighth in the drivers' standings, and Red Bull lost the Constructors' Championship, finishing third behind Ferrari and title winners McLaren.
The debut duopic.twitter.com/otVvSg1GWTCadillac Formula 1 Team (@Cadillac_F1) December 11, 2025
Perez and Red Bull then decided to separate with immediate effect before the 2025 season began. Red Bull again placed third in the 2025 constructors' standings and now look to move forward, with Isack Hadjar joining the team as the replacement for Yuki Tsunoda.
Reflecting on the end of that era, Perez believes Red Bull missed a long-term chance. "We had the best team, but unfortunately everything was destroyed," Perez said. "We had the team to have dominated the sport for the next 10 years, I think, and unfortunately it all ended. "
/images/ppid_a911dc6a-image-176758753237855487.webp)
