Sergio Perez privately thanked F1 pundit for what he ‘finally’ said about Red Bull

Follow us on Google Discover

Sergio Perez may have a chip on his shoulder when he returns to Formula 1 with Cadillac next year. That’s after Red Bull released him from his contract.

Perez signed a one-plus-one extension at Red Bull in June last year, but the team paid him off the following December in order to escape the agreement. They were alarmed by his results after an initially strong start to the season.

But Perez felt that Red Bull should have taken more responsibility for his struggles. And that belief will only have been strengthened by the results of successors Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.

Lawson only lasted two races before Red Bull demoted him back to Toro Rosso, and Tsunoda is unlikely to stay beyond the end of the season after failing to even score points consistently. This arguably highlights that the second-driver problem at Milton Keynes is fundamental, extending beyond individual failings.

Sergio Perez thanked Juan Pablo Montoya for suggesting Red Bull will favour Max Verstappen

Speaking on F1TV’s Weekend Warm-Up show before the Italian Grand Prix, reporter Lawrence Barretto suggested that Red Bull would adopt a more ‘balanced’ philosophy next year. They wouldn’t be so committed, he said, to Verstappen’s preferences.

“All we’re hearing outside of Red Bull is that they’re going to move that car a bit more away from Max and try and balance it out a little bit more,” said Barretto.

But Juan Pablo Montoya, who was making a guest appearance on the broadcast, cast doubt on those claims. He hinted that Red Bull would develop in the car in Verstappen’s favour, at the expense of his teammate, once he starts giving feedback.

“Are they really [going to do that]?” he asked Barretto. “The baseline probably is going to [go in that direction] but once Max drives it and he goes, ‘I don’t like this, it needs to go this way’, that’s where the team is going to have to make a decision, ‘Do we just go Max’s way again, or do we go generic?’.

Now, on the AS Colombia YouTube channel, Montoya has revealed that Perez was appreciative of those comments. He texted him when he saw the clip to thank him for what he saw as long overdue ‘support’.

Montoya said: “I got a text from Checo like at two in the morning. He told me, ‘Finally man, finally I got support’.”

How Sergio Perez stopped Cadillac signing a young driver

Perez could be back at the grid next year when he lines up alongside Valtteri Bottas at Cadillac. Given that they’re in their mid-30s, both drivers know they won’t necessarily see the long-term benefit of the foundation they build.

The American newcomers initially planned to pair a veteran with a youngster. But Perez changed Cadillac’s minds about signing a raw talent and convinced them to opt for pure experience.

It was clear in his interview that the knowledge he had gained, having entered F1 in 2011, would be invaluable to the team. Perez cost Felipe Drugovich a seat with his ‘flawless’ answers.

Verstappen congratulated Perez over text when his Cadillac move was announced. The former teammates remain on good terms – the Mexican’s issues seem to lie with Red Bull.