Sergio Perez warns Max Verstappen's teammates: 'The system will break you'

The Mexican driver was No.2 at Red Bull from 2021 to 2024 and put in arguably the best showing yet of any Verstappen teammate.

Perez recorded six wins, helping the Austrian brand to two constructors’ titles, and Verstappen to four drivers’ crowns.

Most famously, he held up Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi, a selfless act that saw his eventual world champion teammate brand him a ‘monster’.

However, Perez’s support wasn’t always appreciated, including in Brazil the next year when Verstappen refused to help the Mexican secure second in the drivers’ standings.

Despite all of that, he has no hard feelings whatsoever, as he was well aware of the conditions he was under from the start. He told the High Performance Podcast:

“It was great, it was fantastic, I knew I was going into a project built for Max at Red Bull, when they signed me up it was very clear, I knew what I’d signed up for.

“The first time I met Christian [Horner] he told me ‘we go racing with two cars because we have to, otherwise we’d be super happy to race with one car’ otherwise it’s all for Max.

“Instead of me thinking ‘You know what?’ I thought I’ll come here and make the most of it in all regards, I went there with the tools that I have available and I think I overdelivered in all areas, it worked out perfectly.

“Of course it turned out to be some very tough times, tough periods, the pressure and everyone internally, we had too much success so people got bored I think, they were fighting each other and all the drama around.”

Before Perez’s arrival the team massively struggled to replace Daniel Ricciardo, with Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon flopping in the role.

Perez finished a disappointing eighth in the 2024 championship and left the team, sitting out of the sport in 2025 before returning this year with Cadillac.

Yet in his time off, he feels like he was vindicated as Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda also completely failed to match his level:

“It was a fantastic four years, I think I overdelivered and only once I left and they brought in the other drivers they realised the job I’d done for them the last four years.

“I knew it before I came and I thought I can either complain or get on with what I had, this is what I did, the four years I was there I kept my engineering team, something I’m extremely proud of.”

Asked if Verstappen would’ve won the title with Perez as his teammate in 2025, he added: “You never know, for me on a personal level I’m still big friends with everyone at Red Bull, everyone at Aston Martin, it’s important that I keep my credibility and my gratitude.

“Red bull transformed my career, Aston, Racing Point gave me a massive opportunity so at the end of the day this is a business and you have to play it.

“To face Max at Red Bull is the toughest, already to face Max at another team would be tough, but at Red Bull in his team with his people surrounding you, you need the best of the best in all areas but you just don’t have it while he has it, all the opportunities in terms of engineering, senior engineering goes to Max.”

Despite Perez being adamant the odds were against him, there were occasions when it looked like he could challenge Verstappen, something he says the team didn’t appreciate:

“There were years where I thought we were on a par and I could make a fight, but as soon as there were upgrades they were going in and the difference would just increase quite a bit.

“They wouldn’t be very happy but the problems will happen, you can’t perform at your best and that’s what happened.

“It’s very tough, the only reason I survived there for so long was first of all because of how I built my character, and being in that position and accepting it, you have to not 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 that’s really it.”

For any mere mortal that sounds like hell, but Perez was keen to stress his appreciation for the team as things were made clear from the start.

Team principal Christian Horner and senior advisor Helmut Marko never pulled the wool over Perez’s eyes, and he felt enough support from the duo:

“I felt supported to a certain point, more than that no one was willing to do it, I felt supported, the team was behind me, Christian, Helmut, would be happy if I won a race, but at the end of the day they would tell me the whole project is done for a driver and our driver is Max, so for me it was clear and I accepted that, I just tried of make the most of it.

“Pretty much throughout I would say, they were really happy [with me], they knew what that second seat was about and they knew that whoever they bring they will break him in two or three races, not because they’re not quick enough, but because you have to be extremely mentally strong, you have to have the character to be able to cope with all of that.

“When they brought the youngsters, Liam lasted two or three races, and then Yuki, they forgot how difficult it was, before that there was Gasly, Albon, extremely talented, quick drivers, but the system just breaks you, and that’s it.”

But what sort of toll does that take on a driver? Perez opened up on seeking mental support, but knew it wasn’t the route of the issue:

“I sought outside help because they pushed me for it. It's funny in Red Bull every time you don’t deliver there were some ‘mental issues’ I thought ‘I’m open to try everything’.

“They would think ‘you’re too focused on whatever’ they would really believe it because all of a sudden you see the driver is fighting another driver then you come to another race and it’s one second between teammates.

“I was open to anything so I tried but I knew what the main cause of it was, I took it because I felt like it would potentially show the right attitude to the team that I was willing to try anything to overcome these issues.”