Sergio Perez’s bold ‘even Lewis Hamilton would struggle at Red Bull’ claim
“ It doesn’t matter if you bring Hamilton or Leclerc, or whoever you bring there is going to struggle massively.”
Sergio Perez has claimed that no F1 driver - not even Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc - could thrive at Red Bull.
Perez spent four years at Red Bull before being dropped at the end of last season.
The Mexican enjoyed varied degrees of success.
He played a crucial role in Max Verstappen’s F1 title triumph in 2021.
2022 was his best year at Red Bull, finishing third in the championship, with a smaller deficit to Verstappen than in his other seasons.
Perez thought he could fight for the title in 2023 after winning two of the opening four races.
However, a soul-destroying defeat in Miami led to a poor run of form.
Perez was close to losing his seat to Daniel Ricciardo in the middle of 2024 but held on to the end of the year.
Ultimately, he was dropped for 2025, leaving him on the sidelines.
Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda’s struggles have vindicated Perez’s complaints about how difficult it is being Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull.
‘No F1 driver can survive at Red Bull’
Since Daniel Ricciardo’s exit in 2018, Red Bull have struggled to find a competitive second driver.
Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon were axed after short stints with the team.
While Perez lasted four seasons, his future was a constant talking point.
Lawson was dropped after just two races, while Tsunoda will likely lose his seat to Isack Hadjar.
Perez feels all drivers - including Hamilton and Leclerc - would find it tough at Red Bull alongside Verstappen.
“I don’t like to criticise the drivers, because I was in that position. I know exactly what they’re going through,” Perez told Sky Sports.
“As soon as I signed my exit with Red Bull when we came to an agreement, I knew that ‘poor guy who comes here’, because I managed to survive. It’s a very difficult place. Obviously, being next to Max is very difficult, it’s something that people don’t understand.
“There are so many things I could tell you about it but, simply, it’s just a very difficult job for a driver. There is no driver who could survive there. It doesn’t matter if you bring Hamilton or Leclerc, or whoever you bring there is going to struggle massively.
“As a driver, it is really difficult because you have to think all the time [about] how to drive it. When you’re thinking all the time [about] how to drive the car, you know what happens.”
In this article
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
Joining Crash.net in 2021 as an Editor for the Indonesian Edition, Derry oversees most of the Indonesian articles on the site.
Rachit joined the Crash.net team in 2025 with a primary focus on F1 and sportscar racing.
He previously served as a news editor at Motorsport.com, where he played a key role in the day-to-day editorial operations.
