Sergio Perez has reflected on his turbulent tenure at Red Bull Racing, asserting that only his mental resilience allowed him to endure what he described as, at times, an "undriveable" Formula 1 car. His departure at the end of 2024 comes after a challenging season in the RB20, a car Max Verstappen masterfully tamed en route to his fourth title.
Why it matters
Perez's struggles, culminating in an eighth-place championship finish, paved the way for his exit. The subsequent difficulties faced by Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda in the same car highlight the unique demands placed on Red Bull's second driver and the team's design philosophy, which is heavily tailored to Verstappen's exceptional talent.
The big picture
Perez emphasized the distinct nature of the Red Bull car and the pressure to adapt:
- "It's just the whole dynamics of the team. Obviously, they have a unique talent over there with Max. It’s very difficult for the second driver...to basically adapt to the car."
- He described it as "a very unique car, very unique driving style that I managed...to survive for many years."
- Perez pointed to Lawson and Tsunoda scoring "like five points or something like that" as proof of the car's inherent challenges, calling them "fantastic drivers" who still struggled.
Perez's perspective
He noted the car’s unpredictability under varying conditions:
- "Sometimes I could cope with it, I could adapt to it, but as soon as there was a variable with the rain, with the wind or something, it just became undriveable."
- This led to a spiral of "making mistakes one after the other," and losing confidence.
- Crucially, Perez credits his mental fortitude: "Mentally I was super strong and that’s why I survived there for so long, because I did have a lot of pressure and a lot of you guys [the media] were onto me. And now you realise the job I’ve done in that car and that team."
Looking ahead
Perez also drew parallels with other top drivers adapting to regulation changes, referencing Lewis Hamilton's current situation. He believes the current ground-effect cars have been tricky for many. With new regulations on the horizon, Perez, one of F1's longest-serving drivers, anticipates a better fit for his driving style.