Juan Pablo Montoya reminds disgruntled Sergio Perez that Red Bull made him ‘big’ in F1

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Sergio Perez had only won one Formula 1 race, and scored 10 podiums, before he joined Red Bull at the start of the 2021 season.

By the time he left, Perez was a six-time Grand Prix winner. Even though he’s been out of the sport for a year, he still ranks inside the all-time top 30 for podiums (39).

Perez briefly thought he could fight for the title at the start of the 2022 season, but Max Verstappen pulled away. Aided by Red Bull’s protocols, Verstappen was levels above Perez for most of their partnership.

Since he left at the end of 2024, following the termination of his contract, the Mexican has been strongly critical of the team. In an interview that was published this week, Perez said Red Bull made him feel like a ‘problem’ whether he was faster or slower than Verstappen.

Juan Pablo Montoya says Red Bull gave Sergio Perez his ‘status’

Juan Pablo Montoya can understand why Perez and some of his fans have ‘complained’. But he also pointed out that his situation was preferable to being the number one driver at a struggling team like Alpine.

Montoya says Red Bull elevated Perez, who returns to the grid with Cadillac for 2026, to ‘a big status’.

Of Verstappen’s five teammates since Daniel Ricciardo, only Perez has won a race, though it’s worth noting that he exclusively drove title-winning cars.

Should Sergio Perez be more grateful to Red Bull?

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“Checo has six wins, five of those six wins came with Red Bull,” Montoya told AS Colombia. “If you look at it as a Mexican Checo fan, you’re going to say, ‘Red Bull was very unfair.’

“As Checo says, he knew what he was getting into. Unfair or not, Red Bull gave him five wins. He can complain in the end because the car was unmanageable, but they gave him many very good things.

“When Checo was comfortable in the car, he did a very good job.

He continued: “Are you going to do that [play second fiddle to Verstappen], or are you going to go to Alpine? You’d rather be number two at Red Bull or McLaren than number one at Alpine in 2025, or Haas.

“Obviously, people are going to complain. But if you look at it from the outside, Red Bull have really given Checo a big status.

Sergio Perez says his time at McLaren was even tougher than Red Bull nightmare

Last year, Perez tested the 2023 Ferrari, supported by Cadillac engineers, in preparation for his F1 comeback. He described it as much more ‘normal’ than the car he drove at the end of his Red Bull stint.

Perez’s form only truly collapsed in the final two-thirds of the 2024 season. He failed to score points in eight of the last 16 races.

But Perez says his hardest season was actually 2013, when he raced for McLaren. He only lasted one year alongside Jenson Button as the promise of his Sauber days unravelled.

In that context, Red Bull took a risk by giving him another chance at the front of the grid. He would have been without a drive for 2021 otherwise after the rebranded Aston Martin signed Sebastian Vettel to partner Lance Stroll.