Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images
The Red Bull driver opened up about silly season, the pressure of F1, and driving next to Max Verstappen
It’s been called one of the toughest jobs in Formula 1, and even referred to as an eventual “death spiral.”
That job? The second seat at Red Bull.
That is the job currently occupied by Sergio Pérez. But as is often the case, the most popular pick for that job is one of a handful of potential new occupants, and not the person currently in the seat. Such is life in F1, and that is the place where Pérez currently finds himself.
While his 2023 season got off to a strong start — creating visions of a potential title fight between Pérez and teammate Max Verstappen — those dreams have fallen away in recent weeks, due in large part to Pérez’s own struggles. Prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Pérez had failed to advance to Q3 since the Miami Grand Prix, at the start of May.
Those struggles, coupled with the shocking return to the grid of another former Red Bull #2 in Daniel Ricciardo, opened the door to rumors about Pérez’s place with the team. Pérez is under contract through the 2024 season, but in the world of Formula 1, you are only as good as your last race.
Pérez rebounded in Budapest, advancing to Q3 for the first time since Miami and reaching the podium with his third-place finish. His performance drew praise from Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, but the boss is still hoping to see better form on Saturdays.
“The problem is you guys [the media] wind things up and you can go from hero to zero in this business pretty quickly. He’s not immune to that,” said Horner following the Hungarian Grand Prix. “And I think he responded in the best possible way and did his talking on the circuit and delivered a great performance.”
“Formula 1’s a pressure business, he knows that,” added Horner. “He’s been around long enough to know the pressures there are in F1 and at Red Bull sometimes that’s even more heightened. But he’s responded in the best possible way, and I think he’ll be more than happy with his drive.”
As for the driver’s own mental state, Pérez opened up last weekend about life at Red Bull. Speaking with Mundo Deportivo, the Red Bull driver talked about his recent performance, the pressures of driving at Red Bull, and being Verstappen’s teammate.
“I’ve been here in F1 for 13 years, I’ve seen it all already and that helps you to be a bit calm in this sense and to remember that we are here to enjoy ourselves,” said Pérez regarding the constant rumors regarding his future. “It is our dream and the important thing is, despite everything, to enjoy it.”
Pérez was asked about a quote from Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg, who called the second seat at Red Bull the hardest job on the grid. Pérez did not deny the claim. “He is a smart pilot, who knows it. I think the drivers understand each other much more, because we know what it’s like to be here, in this car, in this team. Pilots understand that much more than perhaps someone sitting at home watching TV,” said the current occupant of that seat.
Pérez then talked at length about driving next to Verstappen, and his belief that the bulk of the grid would wilt in Pérez’s situation.
“90% of the pilots would sink next to Verstappen,” claimed Pèrez. “If you are not mentally strong you cannot be at Red Bull. Here you should not underestimate the level of pressure you are under.”
“Red Bull is a team where if you have a bad session you already have five drivers in your sights. It is constant pressure from the press. In these three years I have never seen this in any other team before,” he added. “With Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes, the team you name it, all their drivers have had difficult moments, but nothing happens. It’s not like at Red Bull, where you have a bad time and now you have to leave the team.”
As for the current season, Pérez insists that 2023 is his only focus, with a goal being finishing second behind Verstappen. Pérez was locked in a tight battle with Charles Leclerc last year, heading into the season finale at Abu Dhabi.
Leclerc won that battle, and much was made of a moment at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix where Verstappen did not let Pérez pass him in the closing stages.
The team put that behind them at the end of the season, and now Pérez is laser-focused on finishing the season in second, and not on any rumors about his seat.
“Now I only think at this moment, about returning to my level that I had at the beginning of the season, because many people forget and think that I am second in the championship because they give away the points in the store. No? If I’m still second in the World Cup after the bad run I’ve had, it’s because of my good start to the year,” said Pérez. “But anyway, my only objective now is to return to that level and I don’t think beyond that. I don’t think about 2025.”
The other thing that Pérez made clear when speaking with Mundo Deportivo?
Red Bull has his back.
“Completely,” said Pérez when asked if he feels loved at Red Bull. “I feel the support of the whole team.”
If more Q3 appearances are in his future, that love will surely grow.
