The fallout from Sergio Pérez’s sudden departure from Red Bull continues to reverberate across the Formula 1 paddock, and the Mexican veteran has now revealed the chaos that surrounded his final months with the world champion team. In a candid interview with the ‘Desde el Paddock’ podcast, Pérez reflected on the events that led to his departure and made a revealing statement: Red Bull already regrets replacing him with rookie Liam Lawson.
Pérez had signed a contract extension with Red Bull in Monaco at the end of May 2024, a move intended to silence growing speculation about his future. However, just weeks later, the team dramatically reversed their decision, announcing that they would instead promote Liam Lawson to the seat, triggering a collapse in both performance and morale that has since raised serious questions about Red Bull’s internal decision-making process.
It was a painful departure, with no apology
Despite the brutal nature of his dismissal, Pérez has remained composed in public, describing his departure from Red Bull without displaying any outward signs of resentment.
“No, that’s the way the sport is,” he said, reflecting on whether he expected any apology from the team. “The decisions have been made.”
Nevertheless, the 35-year-old hinted at his deep disappointment regarding Red Bull’s handling of his departure behind the scenes.
“When I signed my contract for next season in Monaco, the whole world was already talking about my future,” he recalled.
“It would have been so easy for the team to protect me and say, ‘We have a confirmed driver for the next two years.’ But that wasn’t the case.”
The silence from Red Bull was deafening. As rumours circulated, Pérez was left to fend for himself under mounting pressure, not just from the media but also from within his own team. By that point, he had secured four podiums in 2024, but doubts about his long-term place at Red Bull were casting a shadow over everything else.
Internal pressure and a downward spiral
For Pérez, the root of the problem was not just the media frenzy, but also Red Bull’s own role in creating it.
‘The pressure they generated themselves became too great,” he said bluntly.
“It affected the whole team, the engineers, everyone. Ultimately, that cost us dearly. In my opinion, that was fundamental.”
Pérez’s comments reflect a growing belief within the paddock that Red Bull mishandled the situation, undermining one of their most experienced drivers at a crucial point in the championship. By allowing speculation to flourish and failing to defend Pérez’s position, the team effectively destabilised their own operations.
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From contract extension to exile
The story of Pérez’s ousting remains one of the most bizarre chapters in recent F1 history. At the time of his Monaco contract extension, Red Bull publicly supported him. Yet within weeks, that narrative had flipped. Liam Lawson, the young New Zealander who impressed during a substitute stint in 2023, was named as Pérez’s replacement.
Lawson’s promotion was widely seen as a gamble, one that has spectacularly backfired. After just two races with the main team, he was moved to Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s sister team, in what appeared to be an emergency demotion.
The current numbers tell a grim story: Lawson has struggled for pace and consistency, while his former Racing Bulls teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, has scored only seven points in eight races since being promoted to the senior team seat vacated by Perez.
Red Bull’s regrets are mounting
Now, according to Pérez, Red Bull themselves are starting to admit the mistake.
“I know they regret it very much,” he said with a knowing grin. “I know that from a good source.”
Though casually delivered, the statement hit like a thunderclap. While Red Bull has remained tight-lipped in public, Pérez’s comment confirms what many insiders have suspected: the team may have underestimated just how crucial his experience and racing skills were to their operations, especially at a time when the car has proven so difficult to handle.
The 2024 and 2025 Red Bull cars have been tailored to suit Max Verstappen’s preferences, creating a platform that even a driver of Pérez’s calibre has struggled to get consistent pace out of. As Verstappen is the only driver capable of adapting to the car’s quirks, both Lawson and Tsunoda have been unable to deliver results, causing the team’s overall performance to dip.
No hard feelings, just hard truths.
Despite the drama surrounding his departure, Pérez remains philosophical about his time at Red Bull.
“It’s complicated,” he said when asked if he would ever consider returning. “But I still have very good friends there.”
As for Verstappen, Pérez had nothing but praise. “He’s an amazing driver and deserves all his success,” said Perez. “But he also deserves a competitive car.”
The irony is striking: Red Bull, so focused on maximising Verstappen’s advantage, may have inadvertently limited their own competitive potential. With only one driver capable of pushing the limits of the machinery, the team has become dangerously dependent on Verstappen, particularly as rivals like McLaren and Ferrari close the performance gap.
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Where next for Checo?
Pérez’s future remains uncertain, but his reputation may have been rehabilitated faster than Red Bull anticipated. Following the high-profile collapse of their 2025 driver project, teams across the grid will now be viewing Pérez with renewed interest, not as a fading veteran, but as a proven race winner who was arguably sacrificed for political convenience.
In an era when Formula 1 demands both experience and adaptability, Checo Pérez may yet have another chapter to write. If Red Bull is indeed having second thoughts, this could serve as one of the most poignant cautionary tales in recent memory, reminding us that in a sport obsessed with youth and promise, discarding seasoned drivers too quickly can come at a heavy price.
For now, Pérez is waiting patiently, watching closely and smiling wryly, knowing from a very good source that Red Bull’s regret is as real as the silence surrounding his departure.
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