‘Everything goes to Max’ - Sergio Perez reveals true reality of being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull F1 team-mate

Sergio Perez has revealed the brutal and harsh reality of what it is like to be Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 team-mate at Red Bull. 

The Mexican was team-mates with Verstappen at Red Bull for four seasons between 2021 and 2024, before he lost his drive, initially to Liam Lawson, for the 2025 campaign. 

Perez claimed five victories for Red Bull and played a significant role in the team’s championship successes in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but he had a difficult 2024. 

Perez’s failure to get close to Verstappen’s level of performance in his final season was a big factor in Red Bull losing the constructors’ championship to McLaren. 

After spending 2025 on the sidelines, Perez secured his return to F1 with the new Cadillac team for 2026. 

Perez described being team-mates with Verstappen as “the toughest challenge” in F1. 

"To face Max at Red Bull is the toughest challenge. I mean, even to face Max at any other team would be very tough,” he told the High Performance podcast. 

"But to face him at Red Bull, with his team, his people, his surroundings, it's tough, and you need the best of the best in every area, and you just don't have that, you know.

"While he has all the opportunities in terms of engineering, senior engineers, experienced engineers, everything goes to Max. But I knew that before I came, so I thought, 'Look, I can either complain or get on with what I have,' and that's what I did.

"The four years I was there, I kept the same engineering team. That's something I feel extremely proud of.”

Perez admitted he knew what he was signing up for when he joined Red Bull ahead of the 2021 season. 

“I knew I was going into a project that was built for Max over the years. When they signed me up, it was very clear. I knew what I signed up for,” he explained. 

“The first time I met Christian [Horner] 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.’”

Asked if it was made that clear to him, Perez replied: “Yeah. So, instead of me thinking ‘oh why’, I say ‘I come here and I make the most of it in all regards’. And it’s what I did. 

“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. 

“Of course, it turned out, there were some very tough times, very tough periods towards the end as well. The pressure and everyone internally were… We had too much success so people got bored I think and they were fighting each other and you know all the drama around. 

“But they were [a] fantastic four years. I think I overdelivered and only once I left and they brought in all the other drivers they realised the job that I’ve done for them for four years.” 

Perez reckons that accepting his place within the Red Bull ecosystem was key to him surviving for as long as he did. 

“I think the only reason I survived there for so long is because, first of all of how I built my character. So for me it was like peanuts,” he said. 

“Being in that position and accepting it… I think you have to accept in which position you are, and you cannot over push the system too much because they just break you. Also I was completely on my own at Red Bull.

“In terms of management, I felt like there was not much we could do with the system. This is what you get given and this is it.”

When pressed on whether he felt supported at Red Bull, Perez said: “I felt supported to a certain point. More than that, nobody was willing to do it.

“The team was behind me, like Christian and Helmut would be happy if I win a race. But at the end of the day, they will tell me the whole project is done for our driver and our driver is Max. So for me it was clear and I accepted that. I just tried to make the most of it. 

“There were years were I thought we are on a par, I can really give a fight but then as soon as there were upgrades, the difference would increase quite a bit.”