Sergio Perez says Adrian Newey departing Purple Bull triggered ‘much more issues’ for the F1 group | F1 Information

Former Purple Bull driver Sergio Perez says “much more issues began” for the group when Adrian Newey left his place as chief technical officer throughout the 2024 Components 1 season.

Having led the design of vehicles that introduced Purple Bull eight Drivers’ Championships and 6 Constructors’ Championships, Newey departed halfway by means of final season amid an obvious deterioration of his relationship with group principal Christian Horner.

Purple Bull started the 2024 season in the identical kind that noticed them ship a traditionally dominant 2023 marketing campaign however struggled after Newey stepped again from his position and completed third within the constructors’ standings behind McLaren and Ferrari, with Max Verstappen having to be at his good greatest to cling on for a fourth successive drivers’ crown.

Newey’s exit was adopted in August 2024 by Jonathan Wheatley leaving his position as Purple Bull sporting director to turn out to be Sauber/Audi group principal, which Perez additionally cites as an element within the group’s relative struggles.

“We did not dominate in an period like Mercedes, which had a bonus with the engine,” Perez, who left Purple Bull on the finish of the 2024 season, informed the Desde el Paddock podcast.

“Right here, the benefit was very small, and we had an ideal group.

“When Adrian Newey left, I feel that is when much more issues began.

“Then Jonathan Wheatley left, who was a elementary a part of the group.”

Having remained with Purple Bull till early 2025 to complete work on their hypercar venture away from F1, Newey has taken up a job as managing technical associate at rivals Aston Martin, with the group hoping the 66-year-old can catapult them into title competition below the game’s radical new rules subsequent season.

Wheatley took up his position at Sauber firstly of April, and can oversee the group’s transition to changing into Audi’s works outfit subsequent 12 months.

‘They’re very sorry’ – Perez says Purple Bull remorse dropping him

Perez had largely confirmed to be an ideal quantity two to Verstappen after becoming a member of Purple Bull in 2021, however his kind dramatically deteriorated across the identical time Newey departed.

Having completed within the prime 5 within the first six races of 2024, Perez would remarkably fail to take action once more within the remaining 16 rounds of the season.

He had been given a two-year contract extension – till the top of 2026 – after his robust begin to the season however was finally let go earlier than the extension had even kicked in after his kind spiralled to new depths throughout the ultimate weeks of his marketing campaign.

The Mexican believes that Purple Bull did not do sufficient to guard him from hypothesis over his future.

“In the long run, that is how the game is. Choices had been made as a result of there was an excessive amount of stress that they themselves ended up creating,” Perez stated.

“I had a signed contract in Monaco, however from the subsequent race onwards, everybody was speaking about my future regardless that I already had a signed contract.

“It might have been simple for the group to guard me and say, ‘You realize what? We now have a driver signed for the subsequent two years’. However that wasn’t the case. From then on, nobody talked about something apart from Purple Bull race after race.

“In the long run, there was quite a lot of stress on my aspect of the storage… it was placing quite a lot of stress on the engineers, on everybody concerned, and I feel in the long run that ended up costing us loads.”

Perez’s successors as Verstappen’s team-mate have fared little higher, with Liam Lawson solely lasting two rounds earlier than being changed by Yuki Tsunoda, who has failed to complete larger than ninth in eight grand prix appearances for Purple Bull.

Perez, who has been linked with a return to F1 with Cadillac when the American model joins the grid in 2026, says he has heard there may be remorse at Purple Bull over the choice to let him depart.

“I do know that deep down they’re very sorry, I do know that from an excellent supply,” Perez added.

“Folks would possibly suppose I am completely happy about it, however no… we had an ideal group, and in the long run it fell aside, little by little.”

Subsequent up for the 2025 Components 1 season is a return to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix, which is stay on Sky Sports activities F1 this weekend. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.