Four months have passed since Sergio Perez left Red Bull at the end of a 2024 season that offered little satisfaction, mainly due to the difficulties in handling an increasingly complex RB20. It wasn’t just a matter of driving preferences; rather, the Milton Keynes car had characteristics that made it unbalanced, further complicating things for the Mexican.
Some of these characteristics have also been seen, to some extent, in the RB21—the car for this season—despite numerous interventions aimed at making it easier to drive and to set up for the engineers.
Both Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson have spoken of the RB21’s “narrow” operating window, with a balance that changes from corner to corner—the exact same words Perez used last year. This was one of the factors that limited Lawson during his short stint at Milton Keynes.
If a driver struggles to find confidence in areas where Verstappen, on the other hand, manages to maximize the car’s potential, the performance gap grows wider than expected, putting the New Zealander in difficulty. He ultimately paid the price for his lack of progress in the first two races of this season, leading to his return to Racing Bulls.
Perez is not surprised by these struggles, as he experienced the same thing in his final year at Milton Keynes: “Especially last year, I didn’t have the chance to show what I’m capable of as a driver. Now, all of a sudden, people realize how difficult the car is to drive,” the Mexican told F1’s official website in an interview following the announcement of Yuki Tsunoda’s arrival at Red Bull, once again getting a few things off his chest.
“When I joined Red Bull, there were great drivers who struggled, like Alex [Albon] and Pierre [Gasly]. They are fantastic drivers, but they struggled. I spent so much time at Red Bull that everyone forgot how difficult it is to drive the car, so it was tough.”
It’s no secret that, despite his evident difficulties, Perez always tried to help the team by experimenting with setups on Fridays. On several occasions, Red Bull entered race weekends with a less-than-ideal setup, mainly due to discrepancies observed between the wind tunnel, simulator, and track data.
For this reason, the first two free practice sessions were often crucial in finding the right setup, and on multiple occasions, Perez was chosen for these experiments. Despite his departure, he still hopes Red Bull can improve and return to winning ways, considering the long time he spent with the team.
“I really want the team to do well because I have many friends there. I spent four years with them, and I want them to succeed. It’s a very difficult thing to describe. Right now, I’m on the outside; I’ve been in touch with some team members, but when you’re not inside, it’s hard to know what’s really happening.”
“For me, it’s very simple: the car is quite difficult to extract 100% from and to build the necessary confidence with. Even Adrian [Newey] has talked about the things I struggled with,” added Perez, who, in another recent interview, pointed out how the growing gap between himself and Max Verstappen in 2023 was already a warning sign that should not have been overlooked.
“But I want to wish them the best. Woody, who is a great friend of mine, is now Yuki’s engineer, so I really hope they do well. Yuki has talent, he has speed, and, most importantly, he needs to have the right mindset to face this challenge. I think he has the right mentality and attitude. I hope they succeed.”
Dreaming of a return in 2026
Despite his departure at the end of 2024, Sergio Perez believes his Formula 1 story isn’t over yet and has given himself six months to decide his future—roughly the deadline Cadillac has set for selecting its drivers for next year.
Currently, many drivers have multi-year contracts, limiting the opportunities to return to the top tier of motorsport. One such opportunity could be Cadillac’s potential entry next year. The team has already hinted that Perez fits the profile they are considering due to his extensive F1 experience and recent work with a top team.
“Do we value experience? Yes, you can see it in how we are assembling the rest of the team. There are many highly experienced people in management and operational roles. It’s an important factor, but there are many facets to the decision-making process, such as skill, ability, and experience, while also looking to the future,” explained Team Principal Graeme Lowdon a few weeks ago in his first media session, attended by Motorsport.com.
Cadillac’s project could be an intriguing opportunity for Sergio Perez: “If I find a project that fully motivates me to return, where the team believes in me and values my career, my experience, and everything I can bring to a team, it would be very interesting to consider.”
“There are some very interesting projects out there. After Abu Dhabi, I was contacted by a few teams. Now that the season has started, new opportunities will arise in the coming months. Once I know all my options, I will make a decision. What is very clear to me is that I will only come back if the project makes sense and is something I will enjoy.”
“I’ve already spent a lot of time in F1 and have done almost everything. Once you take a step back, you realize how much you sacrifice in life to compete in this sport. So, to fully commit to F1 again, I need to be motivated.”
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