Sergio Perez has admitted that he only realised upon joining Red Bull “the amount of challenges there will be” – which extend beyond being Max Verstappen’s team-mate.
Perez is in his fourth season at the team after short-lived stints for Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, both of whom have gone on to perform well for Alpine and Williams respectively since leaving the Red Bull stable.
Sergio Perez on challenges of ‘whole environment of Red Bull’
Perez signed a new two-year deal with Red Bull earlier this season, but his future came under scrutiny after a drop-off in form alongside Verstappen, with the team subsequently backing him at the summer break stage to stay in place.
Given the high bar that Verstappen in particular sets at the team, it has proven to be a challenging environment as he has gone about winning three World Championships in a row, and currently leads the Drivers’ standings as he looks to earn a fourth.
That in turn places pressure on Perez to perform, and with the lead in the Constructors’ Championship for Red Bull having dropped to eight points after the Italian Grand Prix, the onus is on him to drive to his best at this stage.
With the team having replaced drivers mid-season in the past, the Mexican admitted that it “doesn’t work for everyone” as a Red Bull driver.
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