Montoya on Perez’s Red Bull years: “You knew the deal — and you got the wins”
Sergio Perez’s tell-all about life alongside Max Verstappen has reopened old wounds, and Juan Pablo Montoya isn’t in the mood for a pity party.
Perez, who was cut loose by Red Bull after a bruising 2024 campaign and is sitting out 2025 before a planned return with Cadillac in 2026, recently described a team atmosphere where “everything was a problem.” Faster than Max? Problem. Slower than Max? Also a problem. He even claimed Christian Horner spelled out the hierarchy on day one: Red Bull’s project was built around Verstappen.
None of that shocks Montoya. On his MontoyAS podcast, the seven-time grand prix winner offered a blunt, pragmatic read on Perez’s time in blue.
“Checo knew what he was getting into,” Montoya said. “He didn’t have many options at the time. Like it or not, he has six wins in Formula 1 — five with Red Bull. If you’re a Checo fan, you might say it was unfair, but they also gave him the wins. So how much can you really complain?”
It’s the hard truth of modern Red Bull. Everyone in the paddock understands the team orbits Verstappen — from aero to set-up bias to strategic compromises. Perez admitted as much, recalling that first meeting with Horner in which he was told the team would ‘race two cars because we have to,’ with Verstappen the clear focal point. Perez’s answer then was equally straightforward: he’d support the project, help develop the car, and take his chances.
He did. The early Red Bull chapter delivered the reset his career needed after the 2020 near-miss. Within seven races of that fairy-tale maiden win in Sakhir, Perez won for Red Bull in Baku 2021, then played a pivotal blocking role in Abu Dhabi’s title decider that earned him the “Mexican Minister of Defence” nickname. He stacked more wins and podiums in 2022–23 than at any prior point in his career.
The flip side? As ground-effect cars evolved, the RB18’s development direction slipped away from him. Perez says the car became “uncontrollable” for his style, and as the gap to Verstappen widened, the scrutiny multiplied. That’s not unique to Red Bull; it’s what happens when your teammate is the benchmark of the era and the car is tailored to squeeze out his final tenth. The spotlight burns brighter, and yes, harsher.
Montoya’s take slices through the emotion. You sign for a team like Red Bull because you want to win races, even if you’re the understudy. “If McLaren tells you, ‘You’re number two to Lando,’ you still go,” he said. “There will be weekends where things fall your way and you win. What are you going to do — go be number one in the midfield? You choose the car that can win.”
That’s the calculus Perez made in late 2020. And however tense the relationship became, Montoya argues the Red Bull stint changed Perez’s standing in the sport — especially outside Mexico. “Before Red Bull, a lot of people didn’t really value his talent. After the wins and what he did in 2021, it’s a totally different image,” he said.
There’s a colder undertone to Montoya’s message too: Formula 1 forgets fast. Drivers vanish from the grid and, a month later, the collective memory moves on. Perez didn’t vanish. He left with a bigger profile, more silverware and, crucially, a path back. That matters now as he prepares for a fresh chapter in 2026.
None of this erases Perez’s grievances. It’s entirely believable that every peak or dip triggered internal friction. That’s life as Verstappen’s teammate. The car’s window is narrow, the team’s priorities are clear, and the margins are unforgiving. But Montoya’s point lingers: Red Bull gave Perez a platform to win and be remembered — and in this business, that’s invaluable.
Perez will spend 2025 on the sidelines, decompressing after a draining run and plotting his return. Expectations for 2026? Anyone’s guess. That’s the intrigue. A new ruleset, a new badge on the nose, a veteran with scars and trophies. And a fanbase that’s learned the same lesson Montoya just spelled out: when the right car comes along, you take the shot — even if the target isn’t painted for you.
