Perez joined Red Bull at the start of the 2021 season after Alex Albon was dropped.
He played a key role in the team’s success, taking five Grand Prix wins and finishing second in the Drivers’ Championship in 2023 as Red Bull dominated the season.
However, his form dropped sharply during 2024, with a string of poor results and crashes putting pressure on both driver and team. By the end of that year, Red Bull and Perez went their separate ways, and he spent the following season away from the Formula 1 grid. Perez has since been strongly linked with a return when Cadillac enters Formula 1.
In recent interviews, Perez said that “everything was a problem” at Red Bull regardless of his performance and claimed it was always made clear that the team belonged to Verstappen.
Montoya responded to those comments on his MontoyAS podcast, offering a blunt assessment of the situation.
“If you look at it from the perspective of a Mexican Perez fan, you could argue that Red Bull didn’t treat him entirely fairly,” Montoya said. “But he also said himself that he knew what he was getting into.”
Montoya pointed out that Perez benefitted significantly from his time at the Milton Keynes-based team.
“Unfair or not, Red Bull helped him win five races,” he added. “How much can you complain then?”
The former Williams and McLaren driver acknowledged Perez’s frustrations with the car but stressed that the opportunity itself was invaluable.
“There were times when the car was very difficult to drive, and you can complain about that,” Montoya said. “But there were also many good things. Red Bull gave him a lot of chances, and when he was comfortable in the car, he did an excellent job.”
Montoya’s comments underline the reality of life alongside Verstappen at Red Bull: immense pressure, but also the chance to win at the very top of Formula 1.
