- Home >
- Motorsports >
- Formula 1 >
- Checo Pérez: “Being Verstappen’s Teammate Is the Toughest Job in F1”
Checo Pérez: “Being Verstappen’s Teammate Is the Toughest Job in F1”
The Mexican driver reflects on his time at Red Bull, the pressure of sharing a garage with Max Verstappen, and how that experience shaped his career ahead of a new challenge with Cadillac in Formula One.
The Pressure of a Team Built Around Verstappen
For Sergio “Checo” Pérez, there is no gray area when describing what it meant to be Max Verstappen’s teammate. The Mexican driver stated that sharing a garage with the Dutch star at Red Bull is “the toughest job in Formula One,” not because of a lack of competitiveness, but due to the internal structure of the team.
Speaking recently, Checo explained that from day one it was made clear the project revolved entirely around Verstappen. According to Pérez, former team principal Christian Horner was upfront during their first meeting, explaining that while the team raced with two cars, the long-term vision was centered on Max as the main talent. In that environment, anything that disrupted the hierarchy created tension. “If I was faster than Max, it became a problem,” Pérez admitted.
Results, Wear and Tear, and an Uneven Battle
Despite the challenges, Checo Pérez’s numbers at Red Bull were strong. Over four seasons, he finished second in the drivers’ championship once, third once, placed fourth twice, and closed his final campaign with an eighth-place finish overall. In most teams, those results would be considered a major success.
However, Pérez revealed that the breaking point came when he began to truly fight Verstappen on equal footing. During the 2023 season, both drivers traded victories and showed a very similar level of performance. Suddenly, Pérez felt he lost control of the car. From running neck and neck, he found himself up to a second per lap slower—an enormous gap at the elite level of F1. That drop in performance, he explained, was not only technical but also mental, driven by an environment that did not encourage internal competition.
A Fresh Start with Cadillac and Lessons Learned
Looking ahead to the 2026 Formula One season, Checo Pérez is preparing for a new chapter as a driver for Cadillac, a team set to debut on the grid. The Mexican sees this opportunity as a chance to apply everything he learned during his time at Red Bull. He emphasized that the experience taught him self-worth, resilience, and how to maximize performance even under difficult circumstances.
