Sergio Pérez, the Mexican F1 driver formerly at Red Bull, finishing the 2023 championship as runner-up, has said that being teammate with Max Verstappen is "the worst job in Formula 1". Pérez has spoken in Cracks Podcast (via EFE), explaining his difficulties competing with Max Verstappen in a team that clearly prioritised Max.
"The first time I sat down with Christian (Horner, former Red Bull boss), he told me: 'We're going to race with two cars because we have to race with two cars, but this project was created for Max, he's our talent.'"
"At Red Bull, everything was a problem; if I was faster than Max, it was a problem. A very tense atmosphere was created if I was faster", he explained, adding that it was "a complicated team, because being Max's teammate at Red Bull is the worst job there is in Formula One; I knew what I was up against, since that project is made for Max".
During the 2023 season, they were closer than ever. "I started fighting for the championship with Max. He'd win one race, I'd win another, then he'd win one, then I'd win another. We were very evenly matched. When we got to Barcelona, after fighting for a second per lap, I was already slower, meaning I was no longer in control of the car". After a few even rounds, Verstappen ended up winning the championship with 575 points, while Pérez was second with 285, winning two Grand Prix.
Despite the difficult experience, he remained friends with Verstappen, who defended him when Pérez was fired in 2024. After two years off, Checo will return in 2026 for Cadillac, and takes positives from the experience: "I learned a lot at Red Bull. I learned to value myself in the circumstances I was in, to get the most out of everything".