Former Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez offers a revealing look into the seismic shifts that rattled the championship-winning team in 2024, pinpointing the departure of design maestro Adrian Newey as the catalyst for a series of unforeseen challenges.
The Architects of Dominance Depart
Red Bull Racing has, for years, epitomized Formula 1 excellence, crafting machinery that consistently propelled its drivers to glory. Central to this remarkable era was Adrian Newey, the chief technical officer whose unparalleled design genius led to an astounding eight Drivers` and six Constructors` Championships. Yet, even the most formidable empires can experience internal tremors. Mid-way through the 2024 Formula 1 season, a period that initially saw Red Bull continue its historically dominant run, Newey departed. His exit, reportedly amid a strained relationship with team principal Christian Horner, marked a turning point.
The immediate aftermath saw Red Bull`s seemingly unassailable grip on the championship begin to loosen. While Max Verstappen, with characteristic brilliance, managed to secure his fourth consecutive drivers` crown, the constructors` standings told a different story. Red Bull found themselves finishing a surprising third, trailing both McLaren and Ferrari. This decline, in the eyes of many, including former driver Sergio Perez, was no mere coincidence.
Adding to the structural changes, Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull`s respected sporting director, also moved on in August 2024 to take the helm at Sauber/Audi. These high-profile departures, according to Perez, collectively triggered “a lot more problems” for the team.
Perez`s Candid Assessment: “Problems Started”
Speaking on the Desde el Paddock podcast, Sergio Perez, who concluded his tenure with Red Bull at the close of the 2024 season, offered a forthright analysis of the team`s altered fortunes. He distinguished Red Bull`s dominance from previous eras, notably Mercedes` engine advantage. “Here, the advantage was very small, and we had a great team,” Perez asserted. However, he quickly identified the turning point:
“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.”
This perspective paints a picture of a finely tuned machine, where even seemingly small shifts in its foundational components could trigger cascading effects. Newey, now a managing technical partner at rivals Aston Martin, and Wheatley, tasked with overseeing Sauber`s transition to an Audi works outfit, have both taken their invaluable expertise elsewhere. Their departures represent not just a loss of talent, but a potential dissipation of the unique synergy that defined Red Bull`s championship years.
The Pressure Cooker: Perez`s Contractual Ordeal
Beyond the technical and strategic shifts, Perez also shed light on the intense internal dynamics that contributed to his own deteriorating performance and eventual departure. Initially, Perez had been a seemingly ideal number two to Verstappen, contributing significantly to the team`s constructors` successes. His strong start to the 2024 season even earned him a two-year contract extension, tying him to Red Bull until the end of 2026.
Yet, a dramatic downturn in form followed Newey`s exit. After six top-five finishes at the start of 2024, Perez remarkably failed to achieve this again in the remaining sixteen races. What transpired was a contractual paradox: a signed deal, yet incessant speculation about his future. Perez contends that Red Bull failed to shield him from this media onslaught.
“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. 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.”
This relentless pressure, he suggests, seeped into his side of the garage, impacting engineers and the wider team, ultimately costing them dearly. The irony is not lost: a driver performing well enough to secure an extension, only to be let go before that extension even began, all while navigating a public narrative of uncertainty. One might wonder if the very stability a contract is meant to provide became, in this unique scenario, an accelerant for instability.
The Lingering Regret?
With Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda both having had stints in the second Red Bull seat post-Perez, with mixed results, the question of whether Perez`s struggles were solely his own or indicative of deeper team issues becomes more pertinent. Perez, currently linked with a potential return to F1 with Cadillac in 2026, believes Red Bull now views his departure with a measure of remorse.
“I know that deep down they are very sorry, I know that from a very good source. People might think I`m happy about it, but no… we had a great team, and in the end it fell apart, little by little.”
It`s a stark observation: a once-formidable team, seemingly falling apart “little by little,” not due to a sudden catastrophic failure, but a gradual erosion of key components and internal cohesion. The sentiments expressed by Perez offer a rare glimpse behind the curtain of a top-tier sporting organization, revealing that even championship-winning structures are not immune to the complex human element and the ripple effects of high-stakes departures.
