Max Verstappen: “Constructors result was a miserable failure, but it’s not Sergio Perez’s fault”. Max Verstappen defended Sergio Perez despite the poor performances at Red Bull.

Red Bull, bittersweet victory
Twenty years in Formula 1 and already eight Drivers’ titles in the trophy cabinet. This is the phenomenal track record of Red Bull, which has already left its mark on motorsport history by securing two quadruple world championships, first with Sebastian Vettel and then with Max Verstappen. The enthusiasm in Milton Keynes following these results is naturally high, but Max Verstappen’s latest title risks leaving a bitter aftertaste: the second half of 2024 saw the RB20 struggle under pressure from McLaren and Ferrari, occasionally arriving at races as only the fourth-strongest team.

Max Verstappen’s words
Sergio Perez paid the price, as he once again failed to match Verstappen’s level in 2024, struggling with the first updates to the car. Yet, the four-time world champion chose to defend his former teammate: “For us, obviously, it was a miserable failure,” Max Verstappen said about the disappointing outcome in the Constructors’ Championship, as reported by *Sports Illustrated*. “On one hand, it was obviously tough for Checo, and I don’t think it was always his fault. We also had a very difficult car at that time. I absolutely don’t want to criticize him, and I can say clearly that it wasn’t entirely his fault that things went so badly.” – the four-time Formula 1 world champion pointed out.

“The biggest problem we had this season was that the car just didn’t work. Of course, I know Checo’s driving style. The car we had at one point was very difficult to drive, even for me, and that doesn’t help. We should have started working on it earlier because that would have helped him a lot too,” he added. “At a certain point in the year, things became very difficult, and that doesn’t do any good for confidence. Some drivers are more sensitive to that than others.”

Now it’s Liam Lawson’s turn
To partner Max Verstappen in 2025, Red Bull has chosen Liam Lawson, recently promoted to the main team despite having only 11 Grands Prix in F1 under his belt. Recently, British team principal Christian Horner explained that the New Zealander was selected because he could better handle pressure compared to Yuki Tsunoda and even Sergio Perez himself.