Sergio Perez has offered a peek at his final message to Christian Horner after leaving Red Bull. The Mexican racer, who will return to the F1 grid with Cadillac next season, told the British team principal that he is ‘very sorry for anyone who comes here’ in the future.

Perez left Red Bull last December after a miserable 2024 campaign and was replaced by New Zealander Liam Lawson. His successor lasted a mere two Grand Prix weekends before being swapped with Yuki Tsunoda, who arrived in Milton Keynes off the back of an impressive career with the Faenza-based sister team.

However, the Japanese driver’s job has been a thankless one. While Max Verstappen is in contention for a fifth straight Drivers’ Championship title, Tsunoda is 17th in the standings and has scored points in just three of the last 15 Grands Prix.

Perez predicted these struggles in his goodbye message to Horner. Revealing his departing words to Motorsport Italy, Perez explained: “[I said] Thank you so much for everything. And I’m very sorry for anyone who comes here, because it will cost them a lot.”

The 35-year-old believes that it is impossible for another driver to thrive alongside Verstappen in the Red Bull environment. In 2026, the most challenging job in F1 will likely belong to Isack Hadjar, who is primed for a promotion following a mesmerising rookie campaign with Racing Bulls.

“What happened with Red Bull, in the end, I knew it was the best thing that could have happened to me,” Perez continued. “Because being at Red Bull and the conditions I found myself in were very demanding.

“And all the drivers who have arrived and those who will arrive will continue to have the same problems because it’s a very complex car to drive, where you have to constantly adapt to Verstappen’s style. I think he will become the best driver in the history of the sport; the Red Bull project is made for him.”

Hadjar, who scored a podium in Zandvoort as a rookie, has confessed that he finds the prospect of going head-to-head with Verstappen a scary one. “It’s the dream,” he explained ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix.

“That’s why I’m in Formula 1. It’s not just to be there and drive, make money, go home. I’m not here for that; I’m here to fight against the best and show myself what I can do. When you have Max as a team-mate, I don’t think there’s a better reference. It’s definitely a bit frightening, but at the same time, it really excites me to be one day his team-mate.”