Former Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez has commented on the internal issues at his old team. After just two Grands Prix, the team swapped Liam Lawson for Yuki Tsunoda, making it now the Japanese driver’s turn to tame the difficult-to-handle Red Bull car. Pérez observes that only now is everyone realizing how challenging the cars are to control, something the Mexican driver himself discovered earlier.
Last December, Red Bull announced the immediate termination of Sergio Pérez’s contract. The Mexican’s 2024 season was so disappointing that Red Bull prematurely ended their collaboration. Pérez previously played a crucial role in winning the constructors’ titles in 2022 and 2023, but failed to impress in his final year for the Austrian team. The unpredictable RB20 proved too challenging to handle for the experienced driver.
“I wasn’t able to show what I’m capable of as a driver,” Pérez candidly tells Formula1.com. “Now, people are suddenly realizing how difficult it is to drive the car.” According to the driver, a difficult-to-drive car is not a recent problem at Red Bull. “When I joined Red Bull, there were great drivers who were struggling: Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly. I’ve been with Red Bull for so long that everyone forgot how hard the car is to drive, so that was tough.”
‘Yuki has the talent’
Due to Pérez’s dismissal coming so late in the season, the Mexican is currently off the Formula 1 grid for the first time in fourteen years. However, the driver harbors no resentment towards his old team. “I really want the team to do well,” Pérez continues. “I still have friends there and I spent four years with them. It’s just very hard to talk about.”
And what are Pérez’s expectations for Yuki Tsunoda, who is about to make his debut for the team at Suzuka? “Yuki has the talent, has the speed and, more importantly, the right mentality to handle it. I hope they will succeed.”
