When Sergio Perez joined Red Bull in 2021, many would have argued that is was a deserved move for the Mexican.
The 34-year-old had established himself in F1 as a driver who could produce a magic result in a midfield team. Starting his career with Sauber in 2011, Perez grabbed three podiums in 2012 which earned him a move to McLaren, replacing Lewis Hamilton.
The transfer to the Woking-based outfit turned out to be a disaster, achieving a highest finish of fifth in 2013 before he made the switch to Force India, where he would spend the next seven years.
In that time, Perez was consistently in the points and the top 10 of the championship. He grabbed six podiums with the team; his last being his first piece of glory in F1.
| 2011 | Sauber F1 Team | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 16th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Sauber F1 Team | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 66 | 10th |
| 2013 | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 11th |
| 2014 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 59 | 10th |
| 2015 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 78 | 9th |
| 2016 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 101 | 7th |
| 2017 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 7th |
| 2018 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 62 | 8th |
| Racing Point Force India F1 Team | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 02019 | SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 10th |
| 2020 | BWT Racing Point F1 Team | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 125 | 4th |
| 2021 | Red Bull Racing Honda | 22 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 190 | 4th |
| 2022 | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 22 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 305 | 3rd |
| 2023 | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 22 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 285 | 2nd |
| 2024 | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 152 | 8th |
Force India rebranded to Racing Point in 2019 after falling into administration and subsequently were taken over by Lawrence Stroll. In 2020, Perez was set to leave the team ahead of their rebranding to Aston Martin, and the Mexican made sure to go out strong.
Finishing outside the points only twice in the COVID-19-affected season, Perez won his maiden race at the Sakhir Grand Prix – where he had been running last at one point. Achieving a career-best finish of fourth in the standings up to that point, the Mexican earned his move to Red Bull in 2021.
Sergio Perez’s statement ‘winning is everything’ before making Red Bull debut explains why he is set to be sacked
Perez knew that he had a huge challenge ahead of him at Red Bull; joining a team that expects to win races and fight for championships, along with having Max Verstappen as his teammate, who had outclassed his previous teammates.
Speaking before his debut with the team on the Beyond The Grid Podcast back in 2021, Perez outlined the winning mentality Red Bull have – and it speaks volumes as to why in 2024, the Mexican is set to be axed.
“I mean Red Bull, it’s a very big team and you can see the passion in it for winning. Everyone who works here, their mindset is just about winning, winning, winning. Winning is everything,” he said.
“When I was at Racing Point, it was a bit different because we didn’t have such a team, such a car underneath us. So, just the mindset, it’s different because you are there to maximise the result. But here, maximise the result means winning.
“And that’s something pretty good and everyone is highly motivated. But at the end of the day it still is a Formula 1 team, it’s under a lot of pressure, everyone is looking to deliver from day one.”
Sergio Perez won only five times with Red Bull
Ultimately, Perez did not live up to the mindset he knew Red Bull had, claiming only five victories across his four seasons with the team. The Mexican secured his first win at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, before winning twice in 2022 and 2023.
Like his previous teammates, Verstappen completely dominated Perez as the Mexican began to struggle with his machinery and was regularly unable to reach Q3.
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In 2024, the 34-year-old endured his worst season with the team, finishing eighth in the standings with four podiums, having not scored one after the Chinese Grand Prix or in the top five after Miami.
His woeful form led to increased pressure from the team to keep his seat, as the team ended up losing their constructors’ title – finishing third behind McLaren and Ferrari.
As the 2025 season approaches, it is now looking likely that Perez will leave Red Bull, with Liam Lawson set to replace him.
