Christian Horner's astonishing message about Max Verstappen plan revealed by Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez has revealed the shocking statement Christian Horner made to him when he arrived at Red Bull in 2020.

Ahead of the 2021 Formula One season, the surprising news came that Perez would be taking the coveted second seat at Red Bull, replacing Alex Albon.

The move saw the Mexican driver, who joined from Racing Point, become the first driver to join the team from outside their own young driver programme since 2007.

Perez spent four years at Red Bull, winning five Formula 1 Grands Prix and helping both the team and teammate Max Verstappen win the title on several occasions.

However, as is always the case with Red Bull's second driver, Perez was never likely to be able to win a title himself, with Verstappen always receiving preferential treatment as Red Bull's star driver.

And this fact was made abundantly clear to Perez as soon as he joined the team due to a chat he had with former team principal Horner.

"I knew I was going into Red Bull, a project that was built for Max over the years, when they signed me up it was very clear," Perez told The High Performance Podcast.

"The first time I met Christian he told me, 'we go racing with two cars because we have to, otherwise we would be super happy just to race with one car.'

"Everything is for Max, around Max. to win the championship. So instead of asking why, I just went and made the most of it in all regards, and that's what I did.

"I think with the tools I had available at my expense, I overdelivered in all areas. It worked out perfectly."

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Sergio Perez names the 'toughest job' in F1

Although he looks back positively at his time with Red Bull, Perez also opened up about the frustration and struggles of driving for what was essentially a one-man team.

When asked about the hardest job in the sport, he added: "To face Max at Red Bull is the toughest, already to face Max in any other team is very tough, but to face him at Red Bull with his team, his people, his surroundings, it's tough.

"You need the best of the best in all areas and you just don't have it while he has it. All the opportunities in terms of engineering goes to Max, but I knew it before I came, so I can either complain or get on with it.

"It's very tough, I think the only reason I survived there for so long was because, first of all, how I built my character, so for me it was like peanuts, you have to accept the position you are in.

"I was completely on my own at Red Bull, there was not much we could do with the system, this is what you got given and that was it.

"Christian and Helmut (Marko) would tell me 'The whole project is for our driver and our driver is Max,' so for me it was clear and I accepted that."

Four years after his arrival at Red Bull, Perez lost his seat in December 2024 following a disappointing season that saw him finish eighth in the Drivers' Championship and nearly 300 points behind Verstappen.

"There were some very tough times, very tough periods, towards the end as well," Perez admitted.

"The pressure and everyone internally, we had too much success, so we were fighting each other.

"But it was a fantastic four years, and I overdelivered, and only once I left and they brought in other drivers they realised the job I did for them for four years."

Perez now races for Cadillac alongside fellow F1 veteran Valtteri Bottas, but is yet to score a single point this season.