Collins: Perez wasn't the problem, Red Bull must find a solution to co-driver approach

Red Bull has parted ways with Sergio Perez after the 2024 season, which saw him struggle to perform.

Perez's performance took a sharp dip after the Chinese GP, having started the season with four podiums in five races, with the Mexican driver collecting just 67 points in the remaining 18 races, with only nine points in the last eight races.

This dented the team's hopes of winning the championship, and Red Bull finished the season in third place.

Speaking to the Red Flag podcast on the subject, Bernie Collins said Perez was a name he knew from his time at other teams, adding: "I had worked with Checo before at McLaren and Force India."

"He contributed a lot to the strategy in those teams. But I don't know exactly what went wrong at Red Bull."

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, on stage in the fan zone

Photo: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

"We have always reacted to Red Bull in the past because they have used up their teammates too quickly. But they kept Checo for a long time.

"But when we look at it as a whole, has the team improved enough for this seat? Have they focused the car too much on Verstappen? I don't think their approach has really improved since the Vettel era, to be honest.

"I think Checo is really strong mentally. He has his family around him all the time at the races, he has a lot of people supporting him."

"He's also the first person to come into the office after a bad qualifying session and say, 'That was a terrible qualifying session, but whatever, how are we going to win the race?'"

"That's why I think Red Bull as a team needs to review their driver selection and their internal dynamics."

"Whoever sits in the second seat, they have to make sure he performs well. Because up until now, no one has come close to Verstappen."