Formula 1
Sergio Perez Discloses £6,000 Psychologist Fee, Reflects on Red Bull Pressure and Cadillac Comeback
Former Red Bull Racing Formula 1 driver Sergio “Checo” Perez has revealed the team funded psychological support for him during his time at the Milton Keynes outfit—one that came with a staggering price tag of £6,000 for a single call, translating to an estimated £6,000-per-hour therapy fee. Perez made the disclosure on the Cracks podcast, offering one of his most candid accounts yet of the intense mental environment surrounding Red Bull’s second seat. “Publicly it was very difficult. On top of that you have your whole team against you,” Perez admitted, reflecting on the psychological toll of early struggles after joining the team in 2021.
The Psychology Prescription
Sergio Perez arrived at Red Bull in 2021 following underwhelming tenures by Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, both of whom struggled to coexist alongside Max Verstappen. The Mexican driver managed one race win that season while Max Verstappen stormed to his first world title with 10 victories.
But the start was rocky. “As soon as I arrived at Red Bull, in the first races, when I didn’t deliver results, [they told me] ‘What you need is a psychologist’,” Sergio Perez said. The driver recalled being handed a £6,000 bill after his first session and jokingly forwarding it to Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s senior advisor. “Already cured by the psychologist, the results started to come,” he laughed, describing the team’s persistence with therapy across three seasons as performance slowly stabilized into podium finishes and occasional wins.
A Car Built for One
Sergio Perez also revisited a widely discussed reality: Red Bull’s development path between 2022 and 2024 increasingly favored Verstappen’s driving style, turning more neutral cars into aggressive, razor-sharp machines.
Perez was competitive during early 2022 and 2023—seasons that culminated in a career-best result: P2 in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship, sealing Red Bull’s first-ever 1-2 finish. But by 2024, confidence deteriorated in the demanding RB20, especially after upgrades. “When you have a car where you’re thinking what corner you’re going to crash in, you can’t go fast,” he said, noting that both internal criticism and public scrutiny amplified the pressure.
The Farewell and the “What If?”
Perez confirmed Red Bull even considered terminating his contract mid-2024, though he was given a final lifeline before the summer break. His standout performance in Azerbaijan 2024 with an upgraded floor could have rewritten his trajectory—he was faster than Verstappen before a late crash with Carlos Sainz, a collision he now says cost him the chance to reuse that configuration. “The upgrades continued, but everything was for Max,” he reiterated, pondering what might have happened had he retained that car spec.
Cadillac: The New Chapter
After sitting out 2025, Sergio Perez is returning to F1 in 2026 with Cadillac, partnering Valtteri Bottas in a multi-year deal backed by General Motors. He says this comeback is fueled less by redemption and more by family fulfillment. “There was so much pressure at Red Bull that we forgot to enjoy it,” he said, adding that Cadillac gives him a chance to share the sport’s highs with his wife and children.
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In a poetic twist, Perez described 2025 as his “best year in Formula 1—the one I didn’t race,” because it sparked a reassessment of his achievements relative to the drivers who replaced him.
With Cadillac’s debut looming, Perez’s narrative is shifting from pressure to potential, from criticism to closure—and from therapy bills to a long-awaited fresh start.
