Sergio Perez says Adrian Newey departing Pink Bull triggered ‘much more issues’ for the F1 workforce

Former Pink Bull driver Sergio Perez says “much more issues began” for the workforce when Adrian Newey left his place as chief technical officer through the 2024 Method 1 season.

Having led the design of vehicles that introduced Pink Bull eight Drivers’ Championships and 6 Constructors’ Championships, Newey departed halfway via final season amid an obvious deterioration of his relationship with workforce principal Christian Horner.

Pink Bull started the 2024 season in the identical kind that noticed them ship a traditionally dominant 2023 marketing campaign however struggled after Newey stepped again from his function and completed third within the constructors’ standings behind McLaren and Ferrari, with Max Verstappen having to be at his sensible finest to cling on for a fourth successive drivers’ crown.

Newey’s exit was adopted in August 2024 by Jonathan Wheatley leaving his function as Pink Bull sporting director to develop into Sauber/Audi workforce principal, which Perez additionally cites as an element within the workforce’s relative struggles.

“We did not dominate in an period like Mercedes, which had a bonus with the engine,” Perez, who left Pink Bull on the finish of the 2024 season, informed the Desde el Paddock podcast.

“Right here, the benefit was very small, and we had an excellent workforce.

“When Adrian Newey left, I feel that is when much more issues began.

“Then Jonathan Wheatley left, who was a elementary a part of the workforce.”

Having remained with Pink Bull till early 2025 to complete work on their hypercar undertaking away from F1, Newey has taken up a job as managing technical accomplice at rivals Aston Martin, with the workforce hoping the 66-year-old can catapult them into title competition below the game’s radical new laws subsequent season.

Wheatley took up his function at Sauber in the beginning of April, and can oversee the workforce’s transition to changing into Audi’s works outfit subsequent 12 months.

‘They’re very sorry’ – Perez says Pink Bull remorse dropping him

Perez had largely confirmed to be an ideal quantity two to Verstappen after becoming a member of Pink Bull in 2021, however his kind dramatically deteriorated across the identical time Newey departed.

Having completed within the prime 5 within the first six races of 2024, Perez would remarkably fail to take action once more within the remaining 16 rounds of the season.

He had been given a two-year contract extension – till the top of 2026 – after his robust begin to the season however was in the end let go earlier than the extension had even kicked in after his kind spiralled to new depths through the ultimate weeks of his marketing campaign.

The Mexican believes that Pink Bull did not do sufficient to guard him from hypothesis over his future.

“Ultimately, that is how the game is. Choices have been made as a result of there was an excessive amount of strain that they themselves ended up creating,” Perez mentioned.

“I had a signed contract in Monaco, however from the subsequent race onwards, everybody was speaking about my future although I already had a signed contract.

“It might have been straightforward for the workforce to guard me and say, ‘ what? We have now a driver signed for the subsequent two years’. However that wasn’t the case. From then on, nobody talked about something aside from Pink Bull race after race.

“Ultimately, there was lots of strain on my facet of the storage… it was placing lots of strain on the engineers, on everybody concerned, and I feel ultimately that ended up costing us loads.”

Perez’s successors as Verstappen’s team-mate have fared little higher, with Liam Lawson solely lasting two rounds earlier than being changed by Yuki Tsunoda, who has failed to complete increased than ninth in eight grand prix appearances for Pink Bull.

Perez, who has been linked with a return to F1 with Cadillac when the American model joins the grid in 2026, says he has heard there’s remorse at Pink Bull over the choice to let him depart.

“I do know that deep down they’re very sorry, I do know that from an excellent supply,” Perez added.

“Individuals may suppose I am joyful about it, however no… we had an excellent workforce, and ultimately it fell aside, little by little.”

Subsequent up for the 2025 Method 1 season is a return to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix, which is dwell on Sky Sports activities F1 this weekend. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.