Max Verstappen sends a farewell message to Sergio Perez
Max Verstappen thanked Sergio Perez for his honesty and simplicity during their F1 collaboration at Red Bull.
Max Verstappen expressed his gratitude towards Sergio Perez, praising his direct and honest attitude during their years as teammates at Red Bull Racing.
Red Bull announced the end of its collaboration with Sergio Perez at the end of the 2024 season, marking a pause in the Mexican driver’s F1 career. Liam Lawson has been confirmed as the new teammate of Max Verstappen for 2025.
Sergio Perez will have been the fourth teammate of Max Verstappen at Red Bull, after Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and Daniel Ricciardo.
Verstappen thanks Perez
In a video posted on Red Bull’s social media, Max Verstappen paid tribute to Sergio Perez, highlighting his human as well as professional qualities.
“I remember this photo [an image of Perez and Verstappen celebrating in Parc Fermé after Abu Dhabi 2021] »,” said the four-time world champion.
« He was an excellent teammate for me. As you can see in this photo, without his help during this race, none of this would have been possible. I will always be grateful to him. But what is really the most important is that it has always been pleasant, straightforward, and honest. It’s not often you have a teammate about whom you can say all these things. »
« I am very grateful to Checo, not just as a teammate, but as a person. Working with him has been a real pleasure. »
Perez played a key role for Verstappen.
Although Red Bull missed the constructors’ title in 2021 to Mercedes, Sergio Perez’s role in Max Verstappen’s drivers’ title victory was crucial.
During the Turkish Grand Prix, his defense against Lewis Hamilton cost him valuable points, potentially a podium. More crucially, during the final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, Sergio Perez’s tenacious defense and his strategy to slow down Lewis Hamilton prevented the seven-time world champion from building a sufficient gap to make a pit stop when a virtual or actual safety car was deployed.
Even with the controversies related to the race management by Michael Masi, if Lewis Hamilton had been able to establish a sufficient gap to change tires, he likely would have maintained the advantage during the restart under the Safety Car, depriving Max Verstappen of [his first world crown](https://www.f1.com/actualite/35485-il-y-3-ans-jour-jour-max-verstappen-remportait-premier-titre-mondial.html).
It’s been an absolute pleasure driving alongside you 🙏 We’ve had some amazing moments together that I’ll always remember. Thank you, Checo! pic.twitter.com/iaUMunXZb3
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) December 18, 2024
