Verstappen will always “remember the great times” he experienced with Sergio Perez

In the face of Red Bull’s decision to oust Sergio Perez ahead of next season, four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen claims that he will always remember the great times he has experienced with the Mexican.

Red Bull announced last week that Sergio Perez will leave the team with immediate effect as the Milton Keynes-based outfit and the Mexican driver have reached an agreement to part ways ahead of next season.

The decision put an end to the speculation of recent months, and means that the Mexican driver will leave the Austro-British outfit despite the deal that would have seen the 34-year-old driver race for the team until the end of 2026.

The Guadalajara-born driver joined Red Bull in 2021, and helped his team-mate Max Verstappen win his first championship title that year, playing a pivotal role at the title-deciding 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

However, he has failed to deliver a consistent performance over the last couple of years. Perez has won five races with Red Bull, and finished second in the Drivers’ Championship last year, but he has endured periods during which he simply struggled for outright pace in qualifying.

After a strong start to the 2024 season, Red Bull elected to extend his contract by a further two years which would see Perez race for the Milton Keynes-based outfit until at least the end of the 2026 F1 season. However, the Mexican struggled for pace after his contract extension.

Reflecting on Red Bull’s decision, the now four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen reckoned that he will always remember the great times he has experienced with the five-time F1 race winner driver.

“It was an absolute pleasure to ride with you. We had some great times together that I will always remember. Thank you, Checo!”