Sergio Pérez has described his last six months with Red Bull as “toxic”, revealing that the continued success of the Milton Keynes team led to internal tensions and drama.
The Mexican driver spent four seasons alongside Max Verstappen, contributing to a dominant era for the team. In a recent episode of the podcast High Performance, Pérez spoke about the heavy psychological burden that the end of his stay in the second Red Bull car brought.
“My last six months at Red Bull were very hard, even for me, who feels mentally strong,” he commented. “They were very, very difficult, and I would say toxic. I really wanted a break. So the year off came at the perfect time.”
The 36-year-old driver was replaced at Red Bull for the 2025 season by Liam Lawson. The New Zealander raced with Verstappen during the first two races of 2025 before being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda and moved back to Racing Bulls.
During his time with Red Bull, the team won two Constructors’ Championships in 2022 and 2023, while Verstappen captured four consecutive Drivers’ titles.
Sergio Pérez acknowledged that he was unsure whether he would return to Formula 1 after his time with Red Bull: “I didn’t know at that time if I wanted to come back. When I left F1, I really thought it could be the end, and I was prepared for that. I am very grateful; I wouldn’t come back at any price.”
Pérez has signed with Cadillac, which has joined the championship starting in 2026, along with former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
