Sergio Perez shares surprising news about Christian Horner’s plan for Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez recently shared a surprising story about what Christian Horner told him when he joined Red Bull in 2020. Right before the 2021 Formula One season, it was announced that Perez would take the team’s second seat, replacing Alex Albon. This was a big deal because Perez was the first driver to join Red Bull from outside their young driver program since 2007.
Perez spent four years with Red Bull, winning five Grands Prix and helping both the team and his teammate, Max Verstappen, win titles. But as the second driver, he was never really in the running for a championship himself. Verstappen was always the team’s main focus, and Perez knew this from the start, especially after a chat with Horner.
Perez said, “I knew Red Bull was built around Max when I joined. Christian told me, ‘We race two cars because we have to, but we’d be happy racing just one.’ Everything is for Max, to win the championship. So I didn’t ask why—I just gave it my all.” He feels he did really well with what he had and it turned out great.
Perez also talked about how tough it was to be the second driver at Red Bull. “Racing against Max anywhere is hard, but at Red Bull, it’s even tougher because he has the best support and resources. I knew that before I came, so I chose to focus on making the most of it.” He explained that he was mostly on his own and accepted that the team’s priority was Max.
After four years, Perez lost his Red Bull seat in December 2024 after a difficult season where he finished eighth and was far behind Verstappen in points. Perez admitted, “The last part was really tough. There was a lot of pressure and competition inside the team. But those four years were great, and I gave more than expected. When they brought in new drivers after I left, they realized how much I did for them.”
Now, Perez races for Cadillac with fellow F1 veteran Valtteri Bottas, but he’s still looking for his first points this season.