Sergio Perez on Red Bull talks: “Christian Horner said they only ran two cars because they had to”. Sergio Perez reveals Christian Horner’s blunt words before joining Red Bull.

The Max meat grinder
Since Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull, the second seat at the Milton Keynes team has never found stability: in seven seasons, five drivers have rotated alongside Max Verstappen, and none have fully met the expectations of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.

During this period, the driver who lasted the longest as Max Verstappen’s teammate has been Sergio Perez, partly thanks to his experience gained over ten previous seasons. When negotiations for a Red Bull seat began, the Mexican driver already knew what kind of situation he would be facing in Milton Keynes, despite initial statements suggesting he’d have equal opportunity against Verstappen. It was Perez himself who revealed an unusual anecdote about his first meeting with Horner at the end of 2020.

Sergio Perez’s words
“It was an incredible meeting,” Checo said on the podcast Desde el paddock. “He told me they put two cars on track only because they had to, otherwise they’d just run with Max. At Red Bull there was Alex (Albon), and I knew he was a great driver — he’s proving that now. I replied: ‘Then sign me, and you’ll race with two cars.’ He smiled, but at that moment I understood a lot about how the team worked.” – he pointed out.

“In the end, I joined Red Bull and was placed in competition with one of the best drivers in history, who was already settled in the team, while my engineers were completely new. They were all very good, but they didn’t have experience. Instead of complaining, I focused on myself: in my second race I qualified ahead of Max, and by the fifth I had won a Grand Prix. And in the end, I stayed for six years.” A slip of the tongue? Not at all. Perez closed with a joke: “Yes, they kept me for four years, but paid me for six…”