“I always thought I wouldn’t stand a chance at Red Bull”- Sergio Perez before Red Bull approached him

“I always thought I wouldn’t stand a chance at Red Bull”- Sergio Perez before being approached by Red Bull to replace Alex Albon.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Sakhir Grand Prix win changed Sergio Perez’s fortunes in Formula 1. Red Bull was hesitant to overthrow Alex Albon, to prevent a replica of Pierre Gasly situation.

But the magnificence of Perez’s win eclipsed the thought and convinced Red Bull that the Mexican is more of a driver than he is currently rated.

On the other hand, Perez made his mind that he either needs to make a big move or take a sabbatical, so a possible vacancy at Red Bull was his only resort to achieve his aspirations.

Though, Perez recently revealed in TalkingBull podcast episode that he thought he might never receive a call from Red Bull in his life among all the teams.

“Of all the teams in Formula 1, I always thought I wouldn’t stand a chance at Red Bull. After all, I wasn’t part of the junior programme. When I put on my Red Bull shirt, or I drink a Red Bull, it’s hard to think that this is the brand I drive for now.”

Perez’s reasoning is rational, as Mark Webber was the non-Red Bull join programme driver to compete for the primary term. Moreover, currently, there are seven Red Bull programme alumni on the grid competing for different teams.

It is a dream come true

For Perez till Abu Dhabi, it looked like his career may come to rest after his Racing Point departure, as he had reportedly rejected offers from Williams and Haas, and no other big team had a vacant spot.

“That I am now part of this family is amazing. I find it hard to believe, and I don’t know if it’s because I thought Red Bull was never a possibility or just the feeling of driving for such a big team.”

“When people ask me which team I drive for, it’s still difficult to say, Red Bull. It’s just a dream come true.”

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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