Sergio Perez called out for Red Bull comments after eye-catching Christian Horner story | F1 | Sport

Sergio Perez’s revealing stories from a recent Cracks podcast appearance have been questioned by seven-time F1 Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya.

The Mexican racer, who is returning to the F1 paddock in 2026 with the new Cadillac squad, made an eye-catching appearance on the podcast earlier this month, revealing a host of intriguing details about his four-year stint with Red Bull.

During the conversation, he explained how Helmut Marko ordered him to see a psychologist, and alleged that the team was set up for only Max Verstappen to succeed. Many were most captivated by the retelling of his final conversation with Christian Horner, though, ahead of Perez’s Red Bull departure in December 2025.

Lifting the lid, Perez recounted: “In my farewell with Christian, I said: ‘Hey Christian, what are you going to do when it doesn’t work with Liam?’ “[Horner replied:] ‘Well, there’s Yuki. ‘And what happens when that doesn’t work?’ [Horner then said:] ‘Well, we have many drivers.’ I say: ‘Well, you’re going to use them all.’ He says: ‘Yeah, I know…’”

Perez went on to add: “There was also so much pressure that year. Christian had some issues, so it was also a bit that I was the distraction. I was the big distraction. No one talked about anything but me, my performance, how badly I was doing.”

According to Montoya, however, Perez knew what he was getting himself into and should be appreciative of the opportunities afforded to him by the Milton Keynes squad.

“If you look at it from the perspective of a Mexican Perez fan, you could argue that Red Bull hasn’t treated him entirely fairly,” the former Williams and McLaren driver said on his MontoyAS podcast. “But as he himself said, he knew what he was getting into. Unfair or not, Red Bull did help him get five wins. How much can you complain then?

“In the end, one can complain about the fact that the car was sometimes undrivable, but there were also many good things. Red Bull also gave him a lot of opportunities. If he was comfortable in the car, he did an excellent job.”

Now, Perez returns to the F1 grid in a drastically different environment, working alongside fellow veteran and multi-time Grand Prix winner, Valtteri Bottas, to get the new Cadillac entry off the ground. The 35-year-old also has a fresh mental approach.

“[I am excited] to enjoy this stage with my family, with my children,” he explained. “My children are already at a more mature stage and I want them to see me, because I’ve always tried to convey to them what commitment is, what dedication is, what pressure is, what it means to want something, what it means to win a trophy and what it costs.

“I want to take them more. That’s what excites me the most, enjoying it much, much more with my family, with my wife too. There was so much pressure at Red Bull that we forgot to enjoy it.”