Sergio Perez has revealed that a “reliable source” at Red Bull has told him the team regrets dropping him amid the troubles his successors have endured in Formula 1.
Red Bull chose to dispense with Perez’s services once the previous campaign drew to a close amid a disastrous run that produced 21 points across the last 10 races.
That contributed to Red Bull plummeting to third place in the Constructors’ Championship as Perez trailed a huge 285 points behind then team-mate Max Verstappen.
Red Bull selected Liam Lawson as the Mexican’s replacement, but the Kiwi lasted two events in 2025 until the team demoted him back to satellite squad Racing Bulls.
Yuki Tsunoda exchanged places with Lawson, though he has also struggled to get to grips with the RB21 as he has logged seven points in his eight-race spell to date.
Perez, who spent four seasons as Verstappen’s team-mate, has claimed that he has been alerted that Red Bull has been made to rue the decision to cut ties with him.
When asked whether he believed he warranted an apology from Red Bull, Perez told Dede el Paddock: “No. I mean, at the end of the day, that’s how the sport is.
“They made certain decisions because of the immense pressure – pressure that they themselves helped create.
“But I know, deep down, they regret it. And I know that from a very reliable source.
“Still, what can you do? You move on. It’s tough. I have very good friends there, and people might think I take pleasure in what happened – but no.”
Perez lauds Verstappen success
Verstappen continued to thrive despite Red Bull’s waning competitiveness in 2024 and managed to secure a fourth consecutive Drivers’ title with three races to spare.
“The truth is, Max deserves all the success he’s having,” Perez expressed
“He’s an incredible driver, and very few people understand the way he works – he’s exceptional.”
Perez highlights when Red Bull decline accelerated
Perez has contended that Red Bull’s regression accelerated when esteemed designer Adrian Newey communicated his desire to leave his long-standing role last May.
“We had a great team. In the end, it slowly fell apart, but we really did have something special, during one of the most competitive eras in F1,” he added.
“We didn’t dominate an era like Mercedes [from 2014 to 2020], where they had a massive engine advantage.
“In our case, the performance gap was minimal, and we still built a powerhouse. When Adrian left – that’s when the problems really started.”
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