Updated 25 June 2025 at 18:49 IST
When Red Bull Racing dropped Sergio Perez from the Formula 1 team at the end of the 2024 season, many figured that the team would finally be able to get around to sorting their second driver woes. Max Verstappen is a champion driver but the fact that Red Bull lost the constructor's championship showed they needed another driver competing at the front - something Perez was not able to do.
However, his two replacements - Liam Lawson for two races and Yuki Tsunoda thereafter - have also struggled to match Verstappen for pace and consistency.
Now, Perez has revealed that he knows the team regrets sacking him when they did.
He also added that he was not happy to see the team in this state despite the fact he had to leave, as he felt everything ‘fell apart’.
"I know that deep down they are very sorry, I know that from a very good source. 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," Perez told the Desde el Paddock podcast.
He further questioned why it is the team chose not to protect him publicly, as speculation over his seat continued even though he signed a new two-year deal at the start of the 2024 season.
The speculation added to the pressure on him and his side of the garage, which is what eventualy led to his exit from the team.
It also furthered what has been a massive headache for the team in recent seasons - getting a driver who can compliment Verstappen.
This was a problem before Perez too as the team cycled through the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon in very quick succession.
Perez was signed from outside of the Red Bull junior driver programme in the hopes an outsider might fare better but even that wasn't the case.
After Perez, both Lawson and Tsunoda have strruggled to either support Verstappen or get the kind of results the team needs from them.
Published 25 June 2025 at 18:49 IST