Sergio Perez comes clean on his Red Bull departure - "There was a lot of pressure on my side of the garage”

Sergio Perez addressed one of his toughest moments in his Formula 1 career — the departure from Red Bull Racing. Speaking about it, the Mexican driver stated that he was under enormous pressure as he failed to deliver week in, week out.

Red Bull brought in Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen's teammate in 2021, after two of its academy drivers, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, failed to prove their worth as the second driver. As Perez arrived in 2021, he was incredibly influential in Verstappen's first title in F1, especially during the season-ending 2021 Abu Dhabi GP.

Red Bull started off strongly in 2022 under the ground effect era, so did Perez and Verstappen. However, as Red Bull's performance began to diminish, so did Perez's. In the end, the driver from Guadalajara fell apart in 2024 and ended his season as the only driver without a win in the top four teams.

As a result, Red Bull's patience broke, and they sacked Perez with immediate effect. Now, around half a year later, the former F1 driver touched upon his exit from the Austrian team. Speaking about it, here's what he said:

"In the end, that's how the sport is. Decisions were made because there was too much pressure that they themselves ended up creating. There was a lot of pressure on my side of the garage," Perez said. (Via ESPN.)

"It was putting a lot of pressure on the engineers, on everyone involved, and I think in the end that ended up costing us a lot. People might think I'm happy about it, but no. We had a great team, and in the end it fell apart, little by little," the former Red Bull driver further added.

Perez arrived at Red Bull with immense experience from Sauber, Force India, and Racing Point. Even though he was a near-perfect teammate to Verstappen, his failure to help Red Bull win the Constructors' Championship cost him his seat.

Red Bull tried "everything" to support Sergio Perez, reckoned team boss

Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, stated that his team tried "everything" to help Sergio Perez during his stay at the Milton Keynes-based team. Speaking about this, here's what the British boss said:

Sergio Pérez of Mexico during the F1 race, Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on December 8, 2024 - Source: Getty

"We've tried everything with him and supporting him, and basically he has come to his own conclusion that I think that now is the right time to step away from Formula 1 to take a bit of time out." (Via ESPN)

Currently, Sergio Perez is rumored to return with the Cadillac F1 Team in 2026. Cadillac is set to make its debut in the upcoming season as the second American and 11th team in F1.

About the author

Sabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport journalist for Sportskeeda, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over eight years of experience in the field and has over 10000 published articles on the internet.

As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen’s fearless attitude and dreams of attending the Indian GP if it returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel and is now following Verstappen's dominant journey on the track.

Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (also soccer) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Spanish club, Real Madrid.

He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys soccer, geopolitics, and playing with Khushi & Ubbu - his adorable beagles.

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Edited by pranavsethii