Perez Reveals Horner Told Him Red Bull Is 'Built Around Max'

Sergio Perez has offered a candid account of his four years at Red Bull, revealing that Christian Horner made the team's hierarchy clear from their very first conversation. Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Perez recalled Horner telling him the team would be "super happy just to race with one car" and that "everything is for Max, around Max." Perez says accepting that reality was the only way he survived a stint that brought five wins but ended in a difficult 2024 campaign.

Why it matters:

Perez's remarks provide rare public confirmation of Red Bull's lopsided internal structure. His claim that the team only appreciated his work after watching successors Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda struggle adds a fresh layer to the debate about whether the team's dominance masked a difficult environment for any driver not named Verstappen.

The details:

• The first meeting: Perez recalled Horner stating that the team fields two cars only because it must, and that the entire project is built to win championships with Max Verstappen.
• Resource gap: While Verstappen had access to senior engineers, Perez kept the same engineering team for all four seasons—a point of personal pride, but also evidence of a static support structure.
• On performance: Perez believes he "overdelivered" given the constraints, suggesting he felt competitive until upgrades consistently widened the gap to Verstappen.
• Replacement struggles: He noted that Red Bull only recognized his contribution after he left, pointing to Lawson being dropped after two rounds in 2025 and Tsunoda scoring just 30 points that season.

Looking ahead:

Now back on the grid with Cadillac in 2026, Perez is rebuilding his career while Red Bull continues to grapple with the fallout of his departure. His reflections arrive as the team still searches for a stable partner to Verstappen, suggesting the one-car mentality Horner described years ago remains a live problem.