In a shocking revelation that has sent ripples through the Formula 1 community, Sergio Perez has unleashed a torrent of criticism about his tumultuous stint at Red Bull Racing, particularly his relationship with teammate Max Verstappen. Speaking candidly on the Crack Podcast, the Mexican driver didn’t hold back, branding his time alongside Verstappen as one of the “worst jobs in F1.”
With an eye on the upcoming season with Cadillac, Perez reflected on his past, asserting that if he ever found himself outpacing Verstappen, it was perceived as a “problem” within the team. These incendiary comments have ignited a fierce backlash, especially from F1 veteran Peter Windsor, a former team principal for both Williams and Ferrari, who dismissed Perez’s claims as mere “nonsense.”
On the F1 Hour, Windsor made his stance clear: “I think he’s being a perfect victim; I don’t think there’s a grain of truth in it.” He went further to suggest that had Charles Leclerc been in the second Red Bull seat over the past few years, he could have mounted a serious championship challenge against Verstappen. Windsor stated, “That’s not to say that he’s as good as Max right now, but if you had a class driver in the other car, of course, he’d be very near Max.”
Windsor’s critique didn’t stop there. He highlighted that Red Bull has a rich history of producing two competitive cars, referencing the glory days of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. He asserted, “It’s all nonsense and it’s all Perez trying to justify not being as quick as Max and basically saying, ‘if they’d built the car around me, I would have won four championships and Max would have been nowhere.’ Is that what he’s trying to say? I think he’s wrong there as well!”
The former team manager expressed disbelief at Perez’s perspective, emphasizing that the driver should instead focus on the incredible opportunity he had while racing for Red Bull. “He’s shown that, well above his talent level probably, he won grands prix,” Windsor noted. “He should be saying, ‘I just can’t believe how lucky I was to be driving for Red Bull when I did, I was so happy to be there, what a great team, I was there for the golden days with Jonathan Wheatley and Christian [Horner] and Adrian [Newey].’ Why is he not saying that?”
As the F1 world watches closely, Perez’s controversial statements have undoubtedly reignited discussions about team dynamics and the pressure of competing alongside a dominant driver like Verstappen. With the new season around the corner, all eyes will be on how Perez channels this heated debate into his performance on the track.
