Perez Supports Tsunoda’s Mental Fortitude for Red Bull Role

Mexican racing driver, Sergio Perez, has expressed his support for Yuki Tsunoda as the Japanese driver takes on the challenging role of driving alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Despite being replaced by Tsunoda after the 2024 Formula 1 season, Perez, who had a contract until the end of this year, wishes the team well.

Red Bull’s Decision to Promote Tsunoda Over Liam Lawson

After just two races of his first full-time F1 season, Red Bull made a surprising U-turn and promoted Tsunoda to drive alongside Verstappen while Lawson moved back to the sister team. Although Tsunoda had four years of experience with Racing Bulls, Red Bull opted for the young New Zealander, Liam Lawson, to fill Perez’s shoes initially.

During an interview with F1.com, Perez expressed his sentiments about the situation, stating, “I really want the team to do well, as I have a lot of friends at the team. I spent four years with them and I want to see them doing well. It’s just a very hard thing to talk about. Right now, I’m on the outside, I’ve been in touch with some team members there – but when you’re not there internally, it’s hard to know [what’s happening].

Perez continued by expressing his confidence in Tsunoda, saying, “For me, it was very simple, the car is just quite difficult to get 100% out of it, to get the confidence out of it – and the things I struggled with, even Adrian [Newey] talked about them. But I want to wish them the best.

Perez also mentioned his friendship with Woody, who is now engineering Tsunoda, and expressed hope for their success. He further praised Tsunoda’s talent, speed, and mental fortitude, stating that he believes Tsunoda has the right mentality and attitude to cope with the challenge.

Tsunoda’s Support from Perez and Gasly

In an interview ahead of his Red Bull F1 debut in Japan, Tsunoda revealed that he had received messages and support from Perez and his former AlphaTauri team-mate Pierre Gasly. He commented on the helpful advice they shared, stating, “I got a message from Pierre that he wanted to call me about the experience he had in Red Bull, the things that he should have done in Red Bull, and he just wanted to share a couple of ideas that could work for the coming races in Red Bull.

Tsunoda also mentioned receiving a supportive message from Perez, stating, “All the Red Bull family drivers, very supportive message, and those two are very supportive to me, so I really appreciate it, and one of the drivers I really respect most of all.