Greetings from Max
After months of speculation and despite a contract renewal signed during this same championship and which was supposed to ‘protect’ him until the end of 2025, Sergio Perez was finally dropped by the Red Bull team. The official press release was released by the Milton Keynes team today, with Checo publishing a nice message on its social channels farewell letter to the team in which he played for the last four yearstaking two Constructors’ titles and a second place in the championship in 2023.
There was no lack of respect for Perez greeting from Max Verstappenwhich in this period of coexistence between the two has signed a consecutive poker of world successes. “It was an absolute pleasure to ride alongside you – wrote Verstappen on his social media – we experienced extraordinary moments together that I will remember forever. Thanks, Checo!“.
Ups and downs over the years
The human and sporting relationship between the two has reached its peak peak at the end of the 2021 seasonthe first as garage mates, when Perez’s help – in particular in the Abu Dhabi GP but not only – was fundamental in allowing Verstappen to defeat Lewis Hamilton in the duel to win the championship. About a year later, however, in Brazil, the lowest point was reached: Verstappen in the Interlagos race refused to give up sixth position to his teammate, which would have been useful to Perez in his challenge with Leclerc for the platonic title of vice-world champion . Big words flew between the two both in the radio teams and in front of the journalists’ microphones.
Then, in the following months, the situation resolved itself, also thanks to the ever-growing gap in track performance between the two. At a statistical level, the four-year period ended with 14 doubles accumulatedthe second highest figure in the history of Red Bull after the 16 of the Vettel-Webber duo but with one less season of partnership: on 12 of these occasions it was Verstappen who won the race.
