Sergio Perez had claimed “there’s a reason” other drivers have not remained at Red Bull prior to extending his Formula 1 deal with the team through the 2026 season.
Red Bull announced on Tuesday that Perez has penned a two-year renewal to ensure that it has both drivers tied down to contracts heading into F1’s next rules reset.
The Mexican will remain alongside Max Verstappen into a sixth season next term, with the two now 30 races from becoming the longest-serving F1 team-mates ever.
That marks a drastic contrast to the period between Daniel Ricciardo’s exit at the end of 2018 and Perez’s arrival in 2021 as Red Bull chopped and changed its line-up.
Pierre Gasly endured a nightmare time next to Verstappen in 2019 and was given 12 races before the Austrian squad decided to demote him and usher in Alex Albon.
But while Albon impressed enough past the summer break to retain the drive heading into 2020, the Anglo-Thai driver would endure woes with a capricious RB16 car.
Asked to explain his biggest contribution to the side compared to previous drivers in his position at Imola, Perez hinted that there is a specific reason he has survived.
“I don’t think it’s fair from my side to speak on other drivers, but I think there’s a reason and some reason behind why Red Bull doesn’t work for everyone,” Perez stated.
“It’s quite hard obviously being team-mates with Max. I’m sure if I had a different team-mate you would be shining more, but at the moment it’s a great challenge to have.
“He’s the best driver, very complete, very rarely makes mistakes and it’s great to have a team-mate like that.
“It pushes the boundaries really hard from my side. I know that I have to deliver a perfect weekend to be able to beat him.”
Perez denied he was under extra strain to deliver this term when his contractual situation was unresolved, citing pressure is natural when competing with a top team.
“I think Formula 1 is always pressure regardless of if you’ve done a deal or not,” he explained.
“Because you always have to perform. Especially Red Bull, it’s a very heavy-pressure environment.
“It doesn’t change. It can be a little bit stressful to be doing negotiations while we’ve got so much work to do on weekends when we are back in the simulator.”
