A permanent challenge at Red Bull for Sergio Perez

By leaving Racing Point after seven seasons within the team to join Red Bull in 2021, Sergio Perez seemed destined to win many races and fight for titles. The former McLaren driver had indeed sent a message to his new team: "I am incredibly grateful to Red Bull for giving me the opportunity to drive for the Red Bull Racing team in 2021. You can be sure that I will be completely focused on this new season. The team has the same winning mentality as me, and I know that I am here to perform and help the team fight for another title." However, the Mexican probably did not expect such a difficult challenge.

High demands upon arrival

While fighting for points with Racing Point, and even podiums in some circumstances (like his victory in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix), Perez arrives at Red Bull with a very competitive car, now capable of challenging the Mercedes. A situation that added a lot of pressure to the Mexican driver. After a promising first season, where he played a role in Max Verstappen's quest for the first title, the rest of his adventure at Red Bull turned out to be much more tense.

Despite some brilliant performances, Perez has been struggling since the start of the 2023 season, having not won any races since the Baku Grand Prix last year, while his teammate has clinched the drivers' title for the past three seasons. Not an ideal situation for the Mexican, who explained that the environment within Red Bull presents many challenges due to the high demands set each year in the Milton Keynes team. However, he pointed out that this is not only related to being Max Verstappen's teammate.

Many challenges within Red Bull

« When you are outside, you don't realize the number of challenges there will be, not just by driving alongside Max," Perez told the Times. « It's with the whole Red Bull environment. I only realized this when I joined the team, because you've seen great drivers, like [Pierre] Gasly and [Alex] Albon, they go to other teams and they are fantastic drivers, but it doesn't work for everyone here. » The former Force India driver cites the examples of Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon, who joined Red Bull with great ambitions.

Their lack of experience and being alongside Verstappen, thus benefiting from less support, had notably hindered their progress. Gasly had been demoted as early as mid-season in 2019, while Albon had left Formula 1 for a year after his dismissal from Red Bull in 2021. Perez emphasizes that it takes a strong mentality and shoulders to perform well at Red Bull, something that not all drivers have, leading them to change teams as was the case for Gasly and Albon, now in an environment more conducive to their performances.

An obligation of results this season for Perez

This season, pressure has increased around Perez, with several teams now capable of overtaking Red Bull, and notably the Mexican, currently in seventh position in the championship, 160 points behind his teammate. Results are becoming increasingly unsatisfactory for Red Bull, which has still decided to keep him until the end of the season. The team is still hesitant to keep him for next year despite a contract extension. A decision that could have consequences at the end of the season, as the Austrian team is falling in the hierarchy and only has one driver capable of achieving results, unlike McLaren, which is now only eight points behind Red Bull in the championship.

Even if he admitted that the momentum is not with us, Perez absolutely must perform well in the upcoming races, on circuits where he has often excelled (winner in Singapore in 2022 and in Baku in 2023), risking seeing the constructor's championship and even the driver's championship slip away from the team led by Christian Horner. Such an outcome would likely condemn Perez and force him to leave Red Bull and potentially Formula 1. The last eight races of the season will be crucial for Perez's future in Formula 1, especially since he recently announced his intention to end his career at Red Bull.