Sergio Perez has claimed that a lot of issues at Red Bull started when designer Adrian Newey left the ranks in 2024. The former Red Bull driver struggled to find form last year, while his teammate Max Verstappen claimed the world championship. But it was not as straightforward for the Dutchman either, and a drop off in car performance was clearly visible.
Now, Sergio Perez has linked this drop-off to major personnel leaving the team. Checo claimed that Red Bull’s advantage over the rest of the grid was “very small” before 2024. He also believes that all trouble began when Adrian Newey left, followed by Jonathan Wheatley
Speaking of the Desde el Paddock podcast, Perez said:
“We didn’t dominate in an era like Mercedes, which had an advantage with the engine. Here, the advantage was very small, and we had a great team.” [as reported by Sky Sports]
“When Adrian Newey left, I think that’s when a lot more problems started. Then Jonathan Wheatley left, who was a fundamental part of the team,” he added.
Adrian Newey originally joined Red Bull as the chief designer in 2006. Over time, his title at the team evolved and he was named Chief Technical Officer in 2014. But news came out in 2024 that the Briton would be leaving Milton Keynes after a 20 year stay.
Newey then joined Aston Martin’s F1 outfit as the Managing Technical Partner, beginning in March 2025.
Sergio Perez claims Red Bull did not protect him from speculations over his future in 2024
Sergio Perez has blamed Red Bull for not protecting him from media speculation about his future at the team. The 35-year-old signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull but constantly faced questions about his future due to poor performances in 2024.
Speaking on the aforementioned podcast, Perez explained that the speculations created a toxic environment within the camp, leading to a slump in performance.
“In the end, that’s how the sport is. Decisions were made because there was too much pressure that they themselves ended up creating. I had a signed contract in Monaco, but from the next race onwards, everyone was talking about my future even though I already had a signed contract.” said Perez.
“It would have been easy for the team to protect me and say, ‘You know what? We have a driver signed for the next two years. But that wasn’t the case. From then on, no one talked about anything other than Red Bull race after race.” he added.
Perez explained that this added pressure affected his and his engineers’ performance. The Mexican also claims that he knows from “a very good source” that Red Bull regrets sacking him, after witnessing the struggles of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda in 2025.
Perez may yet return to F1 in 2026. The driver has been heavily linked with a race seat at the new Cadillac F1 team next year.
