“Sergio Pérez says being Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull was ‘the worst… Read more 👇👇
For most Formula One drivers, the wave of the checkered flag brings relief and release. For Sergio “Checo” Pérez, crossing the line did little to lift the weight he carried. The Mexican driver, set to make his return to F1 in 2026 with Cadillac, has given a candid account of what it was like to share a garage with Max Verstappen at Red Bull, arguing that no role in the sport is more ungrateful.
“I was in the best team, but also a very complex one,” Pérez said on Osvaldo Trava’s Cracks podcast. “Being Max’s teammate at Red Bull is incredibly hard. In fact, it’s the worst job in Formula One by a long way.”
From the outset, Pérez said he was fully aware of the environment he was entering. The mission, as he recalled, had a single clear focus.
“I knew exactly what I was signing up for; this whole project is centered around Max,” he explained. “The first time I sat down with Christian (Horner), he told me straight: ‘We have to run two cars, but this project was created for Max. Max is our talent.’”
Arriving in Milton Keynes after solid spells with Sauber, McLaren, Force India, and Racing Point, Pérez brought experience and credibility. Yet his time alongside Verstappen proved to be the most intensely scrutinized phase of his career, with every lap dissected and every result magnified. He raced for Red Bull from 2021 to 2024, peaking in 2023 when he finished second overall. By contrast, 2024 saw Verstappen secure yet another title while Pérez ended the season in eighth a result that ultimately cost him his seat.
According to Pérez, daily life within the team was rarely straightforward.
“Pretty much everything at Red Bull became an issue,” he said. “If I was very fast, it was a problem because it created tension. If I was faster than Max, that was a problem. If I was slower than Max, that was also a problem.”
Looking back, Pérez suggested that even during a period of dominance, the broader project left him disappointed.
“We had the best team, but sadly everything fell apart,” he said. “We had what it took to dominate Formula One for the next decade, in my opinion, and unfortunately it all came to an end.”
When reflecting on Verstappen himself, Pérez struck a balanced tone. He praised the Dutchman’s mental toughness and self-belief, while also pointing to a flaw.
“He’s mentally strong and has enormous confidence,” Pérez said. “But the downside is his character when things don’t go his way, he finds it very difficult to handle.”
