Sergio Perez, after a year away from Formula 1, is ready to return to the grid with Cadillac. The Mexican driver, who was shown the door by Red Bull, has now revealed several details in an interview about how things really work inside the Milton Keynes-based team.
In recent days, we had already reported Sergio Perez’s comments about how Red Bull effectively runs two cars only because the Formula 1 regulations require it. In reality, according to the Mexican, only Max Verstappen’s car truly matters and is the one that consistently receives updates. The Dutch driver sets the direction, and everyone else follows.
What we had not yet reported, however, is the continuation of the conversation Sergio Perez shared during his interview with Oso Traca, where he spoke about the dialogue he had with Christian Horner after the British team principal informed him of the decision to remove him from his role in favour of Liam Lawson.
“I told him: ‘What will you do when it doesn’t work with Liam?’ He replied: ‘Well, there’s Yuki.’ Then I said: ‘And what will you do when it doesn’t work with Yuki either?’ and he answered: ‘We have many other drivers in the Academy.’”
It is clear that, when it came to driver matters, Christian Horner had to accept the decisions made by Helmut Marko, as the Red Bull adviser had a free hand in this area. The choice of Liam Lawson appeared rushed, so much so that the New Zealander was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda after just two Grands Prix. The Japanese driver also failed to impress and, as a result, has been confined this year to the role of reserve driver, protected mainly by the contractual backing provided by Honda.
Now it will be Isack Hadjar’s turn to get behind the wheel of the Red Bull. Unlike his predecessors, however, the Frenchman could find himself in a more favourable situation, not only because the generation of cars will change, but also because Milton Keynes will no longer feature either Horner or Marko. As a result, decisions regarding mid-season driver changes may, perhaps, be taken with greater calm and better judgement.
The candid revelations from Sergio Perez shed a harsh light on the high-pressure “meat grinder” that has characterized Red Bull’s driver development program for the better part of a decade. By exposing the dismissive nature of his final conversation with team leadership, Sergio Perez highlights the immense psychological toll of being the secondary driver in a team built entirely around a single superstar. As Red Bull transitions into a new era without its long-standing management duo, the arrival of Isack Hadjar represents a fresh start. Whether the team can move away from the “alternative” mindset Sergio Perez described and provide a more stable environment for its talent will be one of the most watched storylines of the 2026 season.
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