Sergio Perez reveals brutal Christian Horner ‘two car’ message ahead of Red Bull stint
Sergio Perez has revealed that former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner bluntly informed him upon joining the team that they only ran a second car “because they have to”, admitting they would have been content racing solely with Max Verstappen.
During an appearance on the High Performance podcast, the Mexican driver shed light on the reality he faced when entering the Milton Keynes outfit in 2021. Perez, who has since joined Cadillac, explained that Red Bull’s entire infrastructure and development path were tailored around his four-time champion team-mate.
“The first time I met Christian, he told me, ‘We go racing with two cars because we have to, otherwise we would be super happy just to race with one car,'” Perez explained. “‘Everything is for Max, around Max. We want to win the championship.’
“So it’s why I said [to myself], look, I come here, and I make the most of it in all regards. And it’s what I did. I went there with the tools available, that I had to my expense. I think I overdelivered in all areas over there. It worked out perfectly.
“Of course, there were some very tough times, very tough periods towards the end as well. The pressure and everyone internally… We had too much success. So people got bored, I think, and they were fighting each other and all the drama around the end, but they were four fantastic years.
“I overdelivered, and only once I left and they brought in all the other drivers did they realise the job that I have done for them over four years.”
While he confirmed that Horner and motorsport adviser Helmut Marko were genuinely happy when he won races, Perez added that the priority never changed. He explained that the gap between him and his team-mate at the time only widened when technical upgrades were introduced.
Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
The 36-year-old ultimately left Red Bull at the end of 2024 after four seasons with the team. He took a year out from racing and has since returned with Cadillac in 2026.
Following Perez’s exit from the Austrian team, Verstappen has had three different team-mates in Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and now Isack Hadjar.
When asked whether he thought that Red Bull could have won the constructors’ championship in 2025 if he had remained at the team, Perez added: “Well, you never know. You don’t know, but for me on a personal level, I’m still big friends with everyone at Red Bull, everyone at Aston Martin.
“That’s also very important. I kept my credibility and my gratitude to all of them. Red Bull transformed my career. Aston Martin/Racing Point gave me a massive opportunity. So at the end of the day, this is a business and you have to play it.”
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