Sergio Perez claims that he has been told by “a good source” that Red Bull are experiencing internal remorse over their decision to drop him at the end of the 2024 F1 season, amid his successors' struggles.
Perez’s exit from Red Bull came abruptly despite a two-year contract extension signed earlier in 2024 that should have kept him with the team until 2026.
The Mexican driver, who secured six Grand Prix victories in his career, believes the team failed to shield him from external pressures, creating a toxic environment that ultimately contributed to his departure.
Toxic Team Dynamics
Reflecting on his final months with Red Bull during an appearance on the Desde el Paddock podcast, Perez criticized the team for not protecting him from speculation about his future, even after he had secured a new contract.
“In the end, that's how the sport is. Decisions were made because there was too much pressure that they themselves ended up creating,” Perez said.
“I had a signed contract in Monaco, but from the next race onwards, everyone was talking about my future even though I already had a signed contract.
“It would have been easy for the team to protect me and say, 'You know what? We have a driver signed for the next two years'. But that wasn't the case. From then on, no one talked about anything other than Red Bull race after race.”
However, to be fair, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner did publicly defend Perez on multiple occasions during the 2024 season, insisting that the Mexican was indeed under contract with the team until the end of 2025.
The 35-year-old also described the mounting pressure on his side of the garage, which he believes affected not only him but also the engineers and other team members.
“In the end, there was a lot of pressure on my side of the garage...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,” he stated.
Seller’s Remorse?
Perez’s replacement, Kiwi Liam Lawson, lasted just two races before being sidelined in favor of Yuki Tsunoda. But the Japanese charger continues to struggle in the shadow of reigning world champion Max Verstappen. The team's current slump – including a slide to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship – has only amplified the scrutiny.
Now out of F1 and reflecting on his exit, Perez claims he has reason to believe Red Bull regrets how things unfolded.
“I know that deep down they are very sorry, I know that from a very good source,” said the former Red Bull, McLaren, and Force India driver.
“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.”
His remarks cast a new light on the leadership dynamics at Red Bull, particularly after senior advisor Helmut Marko controversially blamed Perez for the team missing out on end-of-season bonuses – a comment not repeated in light of the team’s further decline.
Newey’s Exit Marked the Beginning of the End
Perez also pointed to deeper structural issues at Red Bull that, in his view, began with the departure of legendary designer Adrian Newey to Aston Martin.
The Mexican believes that the team’s competitive edge was never built on a vast advantage like Mercedes enjoyed during its hybrid-era dominance, but rather on fine margins – ones now slipping away.
Read also: Cadillac F1 top brass to visit British GP for key driver talks“We didn't dominate in an era like Mercedes, which had an advantage with the engine,” he explained.
“Here, the advantage was very small, and we had a great team. When Adrian Newey left, I think that's when a lot more problems started. Then Jonathan Wheatley [former sporting director] left, who was a fundamental part of the team.”
As Red Bull wrestles with its new lineup and a car that’s no longer the class of the field, Perez’s comments add to the growing narrative that the Milton Keynes-based squad may have let go of more than just a driver – they may have lost the cohesion and leadership that once made them dominant.
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