Sergio Perez has revealed the extraordinary support he received from Red Bull during his time struggling to match Max Verstappen’s pace in Formula 1. The Mexican driver, who joined Red Bull Racing in 2021, shared that the team went so far as to arrange a session with a psychologist to help him manage the mental challenges of competing at the highest level.
Perez stepped into the Red Bull seat after Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon had struggled in the team’s second car. Despite the challenges, 2021 proved to be a learning year, as Perez secured only a single Grand Prix victory, while teammate Max Verstappen dominated with ten wins en route to his first Formula 1 World Championship. Yet, the Austrian team stayed close to Perez, offering guidance and mental support to help him adapt and thrive in a high-pressure environment.
The Red Bull psychologist revelation
During an appearance on the Cracks Podcast, Sergio Perez recounted how the idea of seeing a psychologist came about. “As soon as I arrived at Red Bull, in the first few races when I wasn’t getting results, they told me, ‘What you need is a psychologist, you have to see a psychologist,’” Perez explained.
He went on to describe the moment he received the bill: “One day I arrive at the Red Bull factory, and they tell me, ‘Hey, there’s an invoice for you’ – £6,000 from the psychologist. I said, ‘Ah, can you send it to Helmut [Marko]? He can pay it.’ It was £6,000 for a single session,” the Mexican driver recounted with a smile. “Then Helmut asked, ‘So, how did it go?’ I said, ‘Perfect, with this session we’re good.’ And that’s how it went for three years, right? Therapy done, results started to come. Well, the suggestion worked.”
Struggles against Verstappen and the RB20
Even with multiple podiums and a few Grand Prix victories under his belt, Sergio Perez’s struggles compared to Max Verstappen were undeniable. The 2024 season, in particular, highlighted these difficulties as he battled with the underperforming RB20, ultimately leading to his departure from Red Bull at the end of the year.
“In recent years, I told myself, ‘Well, maybe I need help, right? The results aren’t coming,’” Perez admitted. “I looked for reasons everywhere. But deep down, I knew very well that when you have a car and you’re constantly thinking about what will happen, what the car will do, which corner you might crash in, you can’t go fast.”
He added insight into the mental pressure at Red Bull: “On top of that, I had the whole team against me. Publicly, it was very difficult. I think only someone mentally very strong can survive something like that,” concluded Sergio Perez, reflecting on the intense psychological demands of Formula 1 at a top team like Red Bull.
Legacy of resilience
Sergio Perez’s story underscores the importance of mental health support in modern Formula 1. While physical skill and racecraft are critical, the psychological demands of competing alongside a superstar like Max Verstappen cannot be underestimated. Red Bull’s decision to invest in a psychologist for Sergio Perez shows the evolving understanding of mental performance in elite motorsport and highlights how even top drivers sometimes need external help to maintain focus and confidence under extreme pressure.
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