Sergio Pérez reflects on his farewell chat with former Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. The Mexican was brought in 2021 to replace struggling Alexander Albon, but just four seasons later, he found himself out of a job, making way for Liam Lawson. Pérez warned the British team principal back then that hiring the New Zealander wouldn’t help the team: ‘I told him, “What will you do if it doesn’t work out with Liam?”’
Sergio Pérez joined Red Bull in 2021 as Max Verstappen‘s teammate. The Mexican scored a stunning victory at the Azerbaijan GP in his first year and finished fourth in the championship, trailing the two Mercedes drivers. Fast forward to 2024, and it’s a different story—Pérez ended up in eighth place in the drivers’ standings. He struggled with performance issues, which ultimately led to his exit from Red Bull.
“In public, it was very tough,” the Mexican driver recalled in the Spanish-language CRACKS podcast about his last season at Red Bull. “I think only someone who is mentally strong can endure something like that.” The six-time Grand Prix winner was eventually told by Horner that his time with the team was over. Pérez warned that the cycle of second drivers wouldn’t be broken with Lawson’s arrival.
Pérez Reflects on Final Chat with Horner
Pérez looks back on that last conversation with Horner. “I remember the last time… When I said goodbye to Christian, I asked: ‘Hey Christian, what will you do if it doesn’t work out with Liam?’ Christian replied: ‘Well, there’s still Yuki Tsunoda.’ (I then asked, red.): ‘And what happens if that doesn’t work?’ (Horner responded, red.): ‘Well, we have plenty of drivers.’ I said: ‘Well, you’re going to use them all.’ He said: ‘Yeah, I know.’”
Distraction or Strategy?
According to the current Cadillac driver, his departure was ultimately a ‘distraction maneuver’. “Christian had some issues, so I was a bit of a distraction — I was the big distraction,” Pérez continues. “No one was talking about anything else but me, my performance, how poorly I was doing.”
