Sergio Checo Perez, Mexican driver for the new Cadillac Formula 1 team, stated that being teammates with the Dutchman Max Verstappen, at Red Bull, has the worst in Formula 1.

“I was on the best team, a complicated team, because being Max's teammate is very difficult, but being Max's teammate at Red Bull is the worst job in Formula 1, by far; I knew exactly what I was getting into, this project is made for Max,” Checo asserted on Cracks Podcast, a popular show hosted by investor Oswaldo Trava.

Red Bull, Verstappen, and a project with clear priorities

During the conversation, Checo Perez delved into the internal structure of Red Bull Racing and how Christian Horner, then team principal, made it clear from the beginning who the focus of the sporting project was.

“The first time I sat down with Christian, 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. Despite this scenario, Checo Perez's overall experience at Red Bull was positive. In four seasons, he achieved a second and a third place in the drivers' championship, in addition to two fourth-place finishes, and closed his stint in 2024 with an eighth-place overall finish. When Checo was competitive and everything changed on the track. The 35-year-old driver also revealed how his performance began to suffer just as he managed to match the pace of three-time world champion Max Verstappen, especially during the 2023 Formula 1 season. "In 2023, I started fighting for the championship with Max. He would win one race, I would win another, he would win one, and I would win another. We were very evenly matched. When we arrived in Barcelona, ????after fighting for a second per lap, I was already slower; in other words, I no longer had control of the car," he emphasized.

These statements reignite the debate about team management in Formula 1,the internal pressure at Red Bull, and the role played by second drivers in dominant teams.

Cadillac F1 and Checo Perez's new beginning in 2026

With his sights set on the future, Checo Perez is preparing for a new challenge. For the 2026 Formula 1 season, he will be one of the drivers for Cadillac, a team making its debut in the championship and representing a new stage in his career.

“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,” he concluded.

Checo Perez's arrival at Cadillac F1 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting moves in international motorsport and a key story in the next era of Formula 1.