The PR version of Sergio Perez‘s time at Red Bull was always rather neat: loyal number two, vital team player, five wins. The reality, as Perez has now laid out in remarkable detail, was considerably less flattering for the team.
The Horner Admission That Says It All
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Perez revealed exactly what Christian Horner told him at their very first meeting. “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.”
You have to admire the honesty. You might also wonder why it took this long to become public knowledge.
“To face Max at Red Bull is the toughest challenge. He has all the opportunities in terms of engineering, senior engineers, experienced engineers. Everything goes to Max.” – Sergio Perez
A System Built for One
Perez describes a setup where the best engineers, freshest upgrades, and most senior resources were systematically directed towards Max Verstappen. He knew this before signing. His choice, as he frames it, was simple: complain, or get on with it.
He got on with it. For four years, he kept the same engineering group, delivered when it mattered, and helped Red Bull to constructors’ titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023. When upgrades arrived, the gap to Verstappen widened. Every time.
They Just Break You
Perhaps the most striking line concerns the psychological cost. Perez says the only reason he survived so long was his character, and warned that pushing back against the system has serious consequences: “You cannot over push the system too much because they just break you.”
That is not a team ethic you find in many corporate brochures. With Red Bull’s internal tensions already well documented, Perez’s words add another uncomfortable layer to a team that has long operated as a one-driver operation wearing two-car clothing.
The Validation He Was After
The parting shot carries real weight. Perez says Red Bull only appreciated his contribution once he had gone and other drivers were tried in his seat. With Verstappen’s own future at the team now in serious doubt, that observation feels rather timely.
Four years of being told he was second. And he still delivered. Make of that what you will.
