‘Everything Goes to Max’: Sergio Perez Opens Up on the Brutal Reality of Being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Teammate

Sergio Perez has candidly shared the demanding and often unforgiving experience of serving as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull Racing in Formula 1. The Mexican driver spent four seasons alongside the Dutch superstar from 2021 to 2024, contributing significantly to the team’s success before ultimately losing his seat ahead of the 2025 season, initially to Liam Lawson. Now back in the grid with the new Cadillac team for 2026, Perez has reflected deeply on what it truly meant to race in the shadow of one of F1’s most dominant forces.

During his time at Red Bull, Perez secured five Grand Prix victories and played a vital supporting role in the team’s Constructors’ Championship triumphs in 2021, 2022, and 2023. However, his final season in 2024 proved particularly challenging. Perez struggled to match Verstappen’s blistering pace, a performance gap that contributed heavily to Red Bull surrendering the Constructors’ title to McLaren. His demotion and subsequent year on the sidelines highlighted the intense internal pressures within one of motorsport’s most high-stakes environments.

In a revealing interview on the High Performance podcast, Perez described partnering with Verstappen at Red Bull as “the toughest challenge” in Formula 1. He emphasized that competing against Max anywhere would be difficult, but doing so within the Red Bull setup—where resources, engineering support, and strategic focus are overwhelmingly directed toward the three-time world champion—intensifies the difficulty exponentially.

“To face Max at Red Bull is the toughest challenge,” Perez explained. “Even facing him at any other team would be very tough. But at Red Bull, with his team, his people, and his surroundings, it’s on another level. You need the absolute best in every single area, and you simply don’t have access to that in the same way.”

Perez noted that Verstappen benefits from priority access to top engineering talent, senior technical staff, and experienced personnel. “Everything goes to Max,” he stated plainly. Yet, he entered the partnership with eyes wide open, fully aware of the team’s structure and priorities. Rather than complaining, Perez chose to maximize what was available to him—a mindset that allowed him to endure four competitive seasons.

One aspect Perez takes particular pride in is the stability of his engineering team throughout his Red Bull tenure. Unlike the frequent changes many drivers experience, he maintained the same group of engineers, viewing this continuity as a significant personal achievement amid the high-pressure environment.

The Mexican driver admitted he knew exactly what he was signing up for when he joined Red Bull before the 2021 season. The team had been meticulously built around Verstappen over several years. Perez recalled his initial conversations with team principal Christian Horner, who was upfront about the organization’s singular focus.

“The first time I met Christian Horner, he told me we go racing with two cars because we have to,” Perez remembered. “Otherwise, we would be super happy just racing with one car. Everything is for Max, around Max. We want to win the championship.” Horner’s message was crystal clear: the project revolved around Verstappen, and Perez’s role was to support that mission while extracting the best possible results for himself.

Instead of resenting the situation, Perez approached it constructively. “I knew I was going into a project built for Max,” he said. “When they signed me, it was very clear. I knew what I signed up for.” He focused on overdelivering with the tools at his disposal, believing he performed strongly across multiple areas during his time there.

Of course, it wasn’t without difficulties. Perez acknowledged tough periods, especially toward the end of his stint. The immense success Red Bull enjoyed created its own challenges—internal boredom, infighting, and unnecessary drama within the team. “We had too much success, so people got bored, and they started fighting each other,” he observed. Despite these pressures, Perez looks back on those four years fondly, feeling he contributed more than was initially recognized.

It was only after his departure, when Red Bull cycled through other drivers, that the team apparently began to appreciate the consistency and value Perez had brought. His ability to accept his position within the ecosystem proved crucial to his longevity at the team. “I think the only reason I survived there for so long is because of how I built my character,” he reflected. “For me, it was like peanuts.”

Perez stressed the importance of realistic self-assessment in such a hierarchical environment. Drivers must accept their place without over-pushing the system, as doing so risks being “broken” by it. He also described feeling largely on his own at Red Bull in terms of management support. While the team backed him to a degree—Horner and advisor Helmut Marko would be pleased with his race wins—the overarching priority remained Verstappen.

“The team was behind me to a certain point,” Perez explained. “More than that, nobody was willing to do it. At the end of the day, they will tell you the whole project is done for our driver, and our driver is Max. So for me it was clear, and I accepted that. I just tried to make the most of it.”

There were moments when Perez felt competitive parity with Verstappen, particularly early in a season or before major upgrades. However, once development parts arrived, the performance gap often widened noticeably, underscoring the resource allocation imbalance.

Perez’s resilience shines through in his reflections. After a year away from the grid in 2025, he has secured a comeback with Cadillac for the 2026 season, marking a new chapter in his career. His experience at Red Bull offers valuable lessons about navigating unequal team dynamics in elite motorsport, where one driver’s dominance can define the entire organization’s direction.

Throughout his Red Bull journey, Perez demonstrated professionalism and adaptability. From delivering crucial points in Constructors’ battles to his memorable defensive drive in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that helped shape the title outcome, he consistently fulfilled the supporting role expected of him. His five wins—including standout performances in Monaco, Azerbaijan, and elsewhere—remain highlights of a career that has seen him evolve from a solid midfield performer to a key player in title-winning campaigns.

As Formula 1 continues to evolve with new regulations and shifting team hierarchies, Perez’s insights provide a rare glimpse behind the curtain of one of the sport’s most successful yet demanding partnerships. His story underscores that success in F1 often requires not just raw talent, but mental fortitude, strategic acceptance, and the ability to thrive within constraints.

Looking ahead, Perez’s return with Cadillac offers him a fresh opportunity to lead a project more centered on his own ambitions. While the challenges of competing against established powerhouses like Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes will remain, his hard-earned wisdom from the Verstappen era will undoubtedly serve him well.

In the high-octane world of Formula 1, where team orders, resource distribution, and internal politics can make or break careers, Sergio Perez’s honest account stands out as both a cautionary tale and an inspiring example of resilience. “Everything goes to Max” may have defined his Red Bull years, but Perez’s ability to carve out his own successes within that reality speaks volumes about his character and determination.