Otmar Szafnauer claims axing the "Minister of Defense" cost Max Verstappen the championship, arguing Liam Lawson’s promotion gift-wrapped the 2025 title for a surging McLaren.
The departure of Sergio Pérez from Red Bull Racing remains one of the most controversial personnel decisions in the team's recent history. From the moment the announcement was made, voices inside and outside the paddock questioned both the methods and the reasoning behind the Austrian outfit's choice to release the Mexican driver in favor of Liam Lawson — a replacement who ultimately fell well short of matching, let alone surpassing, Pérez's level of performance.
Now, one of those critical voices has gone on record with a pointed and detailed argument. Otmar Szafnauer, a former Formula 1 team principal who worked directly alongside Pérez during his time at Racing Point, sat down for an interview on the High Performance podcast on YouTube and made the case plainly: Red Bull, he believes, must be regretting the decision.
"If Red Bull had kept Checo, Max would have won the championship. He lost it to Lando by two points. All they needed was a Sergio who could insert himself between a Max win and a Lando win on several occasions. If Max had won once and Sergio had come second — say, at Suzuka — Max would have won the championship," Szafnauer said.
He went further, drawing on a historical comparison that carries real weight in the context of Verstappen's career: "If you remember — and that's what made me think about it — it was his first year at Red Bull, when Max won, and he became known as the Minister of Defense. Why? Because he got himself between Max and the others, defending him and securing the victory."
How did Sergio Pérez's time at Red Bull unfold?
Sergio Pérez was brought into the Red Bull fold at the end of 2020, at a point when his Formula 1 career appeared to be winding down. He stepped in to replace Alexander Albon and, almost immediately, demonstrated why he had been one of the most underrated drivers on the grid for years.
His steady, strategic brilliance proved the ideal complement to Verstappen's aggressive pace, and he played a meaningful role in the Dutchman's first World Championship title in 2021. In both 2022 and 2023, the Pérez-Verstappen partnership powered Red Bull to consecutive Constructors' Championships.
The 2023 season was arguably Pérez's finest in the sport's top tier: he finished as runner-up in the Drivers' standings, delivered consistent points weekends throughout the year, and claimed a historic victory at the Monaco Grand Prix — a win that earned him admiration and respect across the paddock.
By 2024, the situation had deteriorated sharply. He concluded the year in eighth place in the Drivers' Championship — making him the lowest-performing teammate to a reigning World Champion in 41 consecutive years of competition in the sport. After months of speculation, Red Bull confirmed that Liam Lawson would take his seat for 2025, becoming the fifth different teammate Verstappen had raced alongside at the team.
As for Pérez himself, after weeks of uncertainty about his future following his Red Bull exit, the Mexican driver confirmed his return to Formula 1 with the Cadillac team for the 2026 World Championship — a comeback that many in the sport believe was long overdue.