Sergio Perez has described partnering with four-time champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull as the “toughest” job in Formula 1.
Perez drove for Red Bull from 2021 to the end of 2024 before he was replaced by Liam Lawson for the 2025 season. After taking a year out of the championship, the Mexican signed with new F1 team Cadillac for 2026.
The Milton Keynes outfit has struggled for some time to find a driver who is able to extract the same level of performance from its machinery as Verstappen does.
While Lawson stepped up to the seat for 2025, he was replaced after just two race weekends by Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver remained in the position until the end of the year before Isack Hadjar was signed for 2026.
During an appearance on the High Performance podcast, Perez reflected on his four-year stint with the team. “To face Max at Red Bull is the toughest,” Perez admitted. “To face Max in any other team will be very tough, but to face him at Red Bull with his team, his people, it’s tough.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
“You need the best of the best in all areas, and you just don’t have it, while he has it all. All the opportunities in terms of engineering, senior engineering, experienced engineering – everything goes to Max.”
Despite the difficulties, Perez insists he accepted the reality early on in his time beside Verstappen. “But I knew it before I came. So I thought I can either complain or get on with what I have, and this is what I did. For the four years I was there, I kept my same engineering team, which is something I feel extremely proud of.”
After the first half of the season with Cadillac, which joined the grid in 2026 as the 11th team, Perez sits 22nd in the drivers’ championship.
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