The Mexican driver joined Red Bull in 2021, replacing Alex Albon, and knew it would be a huge challenge to race alongside Max Verstappen. Speaking on the Cracked podcast, Perez explained that the atmosphere inside the team was often tense, no matter how well or badly he performed.

Perez did have strong results at Red Bull. He won races in 2021 and 2022, finished third in the championship in 2022, and ended the 2023 season as runner-up to Verstappen. However, according to Perez, these achievements did not change how he was treated.

He said: “At Red Bull, everything was a problem. If I was very fast, it was a problem.” He added that even beating his teammate caused issues, saying, “If I was faster than Max, it was a problem. If I was slower than Max, it was a problem. So everything was a problem.”

Perez also spoke about how difficult it is to be Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull. He described the role as extremely demanding and said many people outside the team did not understand this. “Being Max’s teammate at Red Bull is the best and the worst job in F1, by far,” he said on the podcast. He also felt that his early success was quickly forgotten, explaining: “When I arrived at Red Bull, I started getting results. Everyone forgot how difficult it was to be in that seat.”

After a poor 2024 season, in which he scored only a few podium finishes, Perez lost his drive with Red Bull. Looking back, he said the experience taught him an important lesson about dealing with pressure. “The circumstances I’m in, instead of complaining, I have to make the best of it and get the most out of it,” he said.

Now, as he prepares to return to Formula 1 with Cadillac, Perez hopes to use what he learned at Red Bull to finish his career on a more positive and successful note.