F1 2025: Sergio Perez says 'no driver can survive' at Max Verstappen's Red Bull

Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Mexico, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Sergio Perez says 'no driver can survive' at Max Verstappen's Red Bull

Sergio Perez is well placed to assess the struggles of being Max Verstappen's team-mate

By Kerry Violet.

Monday 27 October 2025 16:31

Former F1 star Sergio Perez has claimed that no driver can survive up against Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, not even some of the sport's biggest names.

Perez raced alongside the Dutch driver from 2021 through 2024 as Verstappen claimed four consecutive drivers' championships.

At first, the Mexican driver proved a trusty number two driver, but towards the end of his time with the team, results became much harder to come by.

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Ultimately, this led to Red Bull losing out on the constructors' championship in 2024, after which the team decided it was time to part ways with Perez.

Perez issues verdict on Red Bull struggles

In a feature with Sky F1's Karun Chandhok ahead of this year's Mexican Grand Prix, Perez reflected on his struggles at Red Bull, insisting that even Hamilton would struggle to pilot a car that has been tuned to Verstappen's unique driving style.

“The minute I signed my exit with Red Bull when we came to an agreement, I knew that, ‘poor guy who comes here',” Perez said.

“Being next to Max is very difficult but being next to Max in Red Bull, it’s something people don’t understand. There’s so many things I could tell you but it’s simply just a very difficult job for a driver.

“There is no driver that can survive there, it doesn’t matter if you bring Hamilton or Leclerc. Whoever you bring there is going to struggle massively.

“It’s a very unique driving style, you have to constantly be adapting to the needs of Max, simple as that.”

Of course, Perez is not the only driver to struggle at Red Bull, with the team having had a raft of drivers alongside Verstappen since Daniel Ricciardo's exit.

Even this season, the team's brutal approach towards their drivers was on show, with Liam Lawson - the man who replaced Perez - axed after just two races and demoted back to Racing Bulls, replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who himself has also struggled since.

F1 Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Sergio Perez