F1 NEWS: SERGIO PEREZ BREAKS SILENCE ON MAX VERSTAPPEN’S "BAD SIDE" IN NEW INTERVIEW
Now with Cadillac, Sergio Perez reveals the truth about Max Verstappen’s character and their explosive 2022 Brazil fallout.
Sergio Perez has opened up about what it’s really like to race alongside Max Verstappen. According to him, Verstappen isn’t just fast—he’s a whole different animal when he’s behind the wheel. The “bad” sides of Max? Perez says they’re just part of the package.
After getting dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2024 and sitting out a season, Perez is now back in F1 with Cadillac. He knows Verstappen as well as anyone, having spent four years as his teammate at Red Bull. He saw the good and the bad, both on and off the track.
Perez points out that Verstappen can be tough to deal with when things don’t go his way. “Mentally, he’s super strong. He’s got crazy self-belief and so much talent. He’s completely focused on racing, on being the best. He’s a powerhouse in the team and pushes everyone hard,” Perez said on the Cracks Podcast. “He’s a great leader. But honestly, his biggest flaw is his character—when things turn against him, he really struggles.”
He brought up Verstappen’s run-in with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix as an example. “He blocks; he has that side to him—honestly, if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be Max,” Perez said.
During their time together, Perez sometimes pushed a little too hard—even for a number two driver. And that stirred up some tension. At Red Bull, Verstappen’s team is Verstappen’s team. When Perez dared to challenge him, or worse, beat him, it ruffled feathers.
Things really boiled over in 2022. After an incident in Monaco qualifying, which set up Perez for victory, Verstappen seemed frustrated. Later that year in Brazil, with Perez fighting for second in the championship, Verstappen refused to give up sixth place—even though he’d already secured the title. After the race, when the team questioned him, Verstappen snapped, “I told you already last summer; you guys don’t ask that again to me. Are we clear about that?”
The next season started with Perez believing he could take the fight to Verstappen. But after splitting the first four races, Verstappen shut the door. In Miami, Verstappen started ninth and still won, even though Perez began from pole. That race changed everything. Verstappen went on to win the next nine races in a row and 16 of the last 17. It was sheer domination.
Looking back at the drama in Brazil, Perez gets why fans were upset Verstappen wouldn’t help him. “People complained he didn’t let me pass, that he didn’t return the favour after all I’d done for him,” Perez said. “But honestly, to be world champion, you need that killer instinct—to want to win everything.”
“There’s just something about Max,” Perez continued. “He’s a great guy, but once he’s in the car, he’s different. He transforms. And he was holding onto something he never mentioned. We thought we’d dealt with all our issues that year and talked them out. The whole team thought it was behind us. So when he brought it up in Brazil, we were all surprised.”
SERGIO PEREZ BREAKS SILENCE ON CADILLAC’S FIRST FOUR RACES OF 2026 F1 SEASON
Discover why Sergio Perez is confident in Cadillac’s 2026 path despite urgent needs for better pace and reliability fixes.
Sergio Perez didn’t waste time sharing his thoughts on Cadillac after the first four races of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Cadillac shows up in 2026 as F1’s newest team, but honestly, not a lot of people expected fireworks right away. With veterans like Valtteri Bottas and Perez behind the wheel, the team’s start has been a mix, some moments full of promise, others derailed by reliability issues.
Still, Cadillac isn’t just stuck at the back. Lately, they’ve been right there fighting with Aston Martin and even managed to split them in Miami, which turned a few heads.
Perez knows the team is at risk of falling behind in this crazy-fast development race, though. “We still have work to do, but I’m confident we’re on the right path,” he told reporters, including Motorsport Week.
He added, “Sometimes, once tyre degradation sets in, we can hang with the midfield, but they always seem to find another gear. There’s a long way to go this season, but we’re in a rush to find more pace. We know Aston will get stronger, and we don’t want to be left behind.”
Racing Aston Martin has actually brought Perez some enjoyment. He especially likes battling Fernando Alonso, calling those fights fair and satisfying. Still, he pointed out a weak spot: “We’re having fun with them. Racing Fernando is always great because he’s so fair. But we struggled with tyre degradation; we burnt through them too quickly. We picked the hard compound, but honestly, looking back, I should’ve gone with the soft.”
He said there’s plenty to analyse, and really, the key is getting a better grip on their car as they look ahead to Canada. “We don’t have much time, but in the short term, we need to fix the degradation. We have some ideas, but putting them together is our biggest challenge in the next few weeks.”
Cadillac may be the new kid on the block and still finding its feet, but it’s already starting to make an impact. The road out of the lower ranks won’t be easy, but they’re moving in the right direction.
HOW KIMI ANTONELLI’S THREE-RACE WIN STREAK IS REDEFINING THE MERCEDES TEAM HIERARCHY
With a 43-second gap in Miami, Antonelli proves he’s ready to lead the World Championship. Can Russell bounce back in Canada?
David Coulthard, the former Formula 1 driver, recently pointed out that Kimi Antonelli might be on track to overtake George Russell as Mercedes’ team leader.
Antonelli has been on an impressive run, clinching victories in the last three races and pulling ahead by 20 points over his main competitor and teammate, Russell.
At the Miami race, the young Italian once again outperformed his more seasoned teammate, with Russell managing only fourth place, trailing by 43 seconds.
Coulthard acknowledged Antonelli’s rapid rise in 2026, which is just his second season in F1. He highlighted Antonelli’s strengths and suggested that the Italian is, in many ways, now leading the Mercedes team.
“He’s come of age,” Coulthard said during the Up To Speed podcast.
Despite being relatively new, Antonelli has shown resilience, dealing not only with the pressure from a driver like Lando ready to strike but also with technical glitches like inconsistent paddle shifts. Coulthard mentioned how Antonelli kept his cool even when his engineer, Bono, was trying to help troubleshoot the issue in a tense moment.
“I think he’s earned the right to lead the World Championship,” Coulthard added, noting that this situation probably feels uncomfortable for George. Still, the expectations now lean heavily toward Antonelli leading the team, especially based on recent results.
Coulthard also pointed out that Russell has the experience and skill to reclaim his position as the team’s lead driver, but emphasised that only one can come out on top; someone must finish first and the other second.
The rivalry between them might start opening doors for other teams. Coulthard noted that improvements from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull were already noticeable, especially in Miami.
“Winning in the best car isn’t always straightforward. Many have tried and struggled,” he said.
For Russell, who is feeling the weight of this momentum shift, the upcoming race in Canada will be crucial if he wants to close the gap and halt Antonelli’s winning streak.
