Sergio Perez's father calls Lewis Hamilton an "8-time world champion" while making bold Max Verstappen-Red Bull claim

Sergio Perez's father, Antonio Perez, has made a bold claim about Max Verstappen's four F1 championships with Red Bull. In a statement to prove his son's pivotal role in Verstappen's success, Perez Sr also accidentally or intentionally called Lewis Hamilton an "eight-time world champion."

Perez was Verstappen's teammate during all four seasons from 2021 to 2024, when the Dutchman went on a championship-winning streak. Unfortunately for the Mexican driver, he was rarely able to match his younger teammate. To make matters worse, his performance dipped with each passing season, and scrutiny from media and fans increased, ultimately leading to his exit from Red Bull at the end of 2024.

Sergio Perez had to sit out the 2025 F1 season, with no seats available on the grid. However, Cadillac, which will enter F1 as the 11th team in 2026, recently announced him and Valtteri Bottas as its two drivers. Less than a week after that announcement, Perez's father claimed that Max Verstappen wouldn't even have won one championship without his son's presence as his teammate.

"Checo spent four years at Red Bull. How many years was Red Bull champion? The four of them. Let's hope he continues the next four without Checo. Checo Pérez made Verstappen world champion. If Checo Pérez had been given the Formula 1 he was given the first year, the last year he would also be Formula 1 world champion," Antonio Perez said via Soymotor.

Sergio Perez with his father, Antonio Perez, at the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico - Source: Getty

Perez Sr also highlighted his son's pivotal role in the 2021 F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, where he fiercely defended against Lewis Hamilton, giving Max Verstappen the edge in the on-track battle, leading to the Dutchman's first driver's title.

"Checo Pérez, the first year, Red Bull needed him to be world champion, they gave him a great car and kept an eight-time world champion behind him, Lewis Hamilton," Antonio added.

Sergio Perez will re-enter F1 with a clean slate with Cadillac, a team that will start from scratch at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Sergio Perez takes a dig at his Red Bull successors after signing for Cadillac F1

Sergio Perez Addresses The Media After Announcing His Return To Formula 1 with Cadillac - Source: Getty

Sergio Perez had to face an extraordinary amount of criticism from F1 fans and analysts in the second half of his four-year Red Bull stint, especially in 2024. The Mexican driver's performance was miles away from Max Verstappen's last season.

While the Dutchman won his fourth drivers' championship, all Perez could manage was an eighth-place finish in the standings. This cost Red Bull the constructors' championship, with McLaren taking the crown after a 26-year drought.

Last week, after Cadillac announced Sergio Perez's return, he shared that he no longer felt the pressure to prove himself, which was a constant at Red Bull. Moreover, he also highlighted the poor performance of his successors, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, in the same Red Bull seat.

"I feel like there's nothing to prove. Not just because of the current drivers or the next drivers that were in my seat, but even before that. Now everyone forgets about it, but it's been a very tricky place to be in, to constantly be adapting, to build confidence mentally.

It's a very unique challenge. I don't think I have anything to prove when you see the amount of points they've scored. It's like five points in the entire season."

Lawson scored no points in the two races he was at Red Bull, while his successor, Yuki Tsunoda, has scored a meager nine points in 13 races. It is now that the F1 world is coming to a consensus that it is Red Bull's car that has been difficult to drive all along, with only Verstappen comfortable with its pointy front-end.