believes being ’s teammate is the “worst job in ”, such is the Dutchman’s skill and energy at .
The Mexican driver, who returns to the game this yr with after a yr out, was Verstappen’s teammate from 2021-2024 – all years through which the irrepresible Dutchman gained the drivers’ world championship.
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Perez completed in 2023, amid a yr of dominance the place gained , although the Mexican solely claimed two victories in comparison with Verstappen’s astonishing tally of 19.
Now, forward of his 2026 return, Perez has mirrored on his time at Pink Bull, acknowledging that it was a “downside” in the event you have been slower or certainly sooner than Verstappen.
“I used to be on the perfect workforce nevertheless it was sophisticated as a result of being Max’s teammate at Pink Bull is the worst job there’s in ,” Perez, 35, instructed the “I knew what I used to be up in opposition to.
“At Pink Bull every little thing was an issue. If I used to be sooner than Max it was an issue, a really tense ambiance was created.
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“It was an issue in the event you have been sooner than Max. In the event you have been too sluggish and Max was sluggish, then every little thing was an issue.”
“We had the perfect workforce. Sadly, every little thing was destroyed. We had the workforce to have dominated the game for the following 10 years, I feel, and sadly all of it ended.”
Sergio Perez was Max Verstappen’s teammate for 4 years (Getty Pictures)
Pink Bull’s period of dominance resulted in 2024, when McLaren beat them to the constructors’ championship in a yr of intra-team turmoil, with Christian Horner and sections of Pink Bull hierarchy, in addition to Jos Verstappen, feuding within the background.
Regardless of Verstappen profitable the 2024 drivers’ title, Perez was dropped for Liam Lawson – himself axed after two races in 2025 for Yuki Tsunoda, who has now made means for Isack Hadjar – after ending a lowly eighth within the championship and took a yr’s sabbatical from F1.
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Perez has additionally pushed for the likes of Sauber, McLaren and Pressure India throughout his time in F1 however will now tackle a brand new problem with a brand new workforce in , partnering Valtteri Bottas as he begins his fifteenth season within the sport.
The 2026 F1 season begins on 8 March , with the primary of three pre-season exams happening on 26-30 January in Barcelona. Cadillac will launch their debut automotive in an commercial through the Tremendous Bowl on 8 February.
