Sergio Perez had to vacate his cockpit at Red Bull despite the contract extension, instead the Formula 1 team relied on Rookie Liam Lawson-a decision that should not pay off. The Mexican has now looked back in detail with the Red Bulls for his last difficult months, and he does not expect a kind of apology from the racing team.
“No, that’s how sport is,” said Perez in the podcast “Desde El Paddock” without any trace of bitterness over being at Red Bull: “The decisions were made.”
Nevertheless, the 35-year-old would of course have requested a different way of dealing with his employer. “When I was in Monaco [Ende Mai 2024, Anm. d. Red.] Signed my contract for the next season, the whole world has already spoken about my future. It would have been so simple that the team protects me according to the motto: ‘We have a confirmed driver for the next two years.’ But it wasn’t like that. “
At that time, the focus was on it alone and was not on the further development of the Red Bull cars. Perez had achieved four podium places in 2024 at that time, but the pressure grew internally and externally.
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According to Checo, the racing team was ultimately responsible for the downward spiral of the past few months: “The pressure they generated themselves became too great.” This had affected the entire team and the engineers. “That cost us a lot in the end, in my opinion that was fundamental.”
Perez knows “from a good source”: Red Bull regrets driver change
In retrospect, it is now also clear to the greatest Perez critics that Red Bull has no driver but a car problem. The bolide, designed for the needs of superstar Max Verstappen, is extremely difficult to drive in 2024 and in 2025. Perez successor Liam Lawson and Racing Bull promoters Yuki Tsunoda had to experience this firstly in the current season. Both drive the competition significantly.
Sergio Perez says in a variety of ways and with a wide grin on the decision that he has replaced him by Liam Lawson: “I know that they regret it very much. I know that from a good source.” After just two races, Lawson was transferred to the sister team Racing Bulls, Tsunoda has collected seven points in the Red Bull Magere in Red Bull.
When asked if he would theoretically return to Red Bull again, Checo replied: “It’s complicated. But I still have very good friends there.” He enclosed his former teammate Max Verstappen as a “super driver” who “deserves every success” – and “a competitive car”.