Sergio Perez opens up on Red Bull psychologist episode and £6,000 bill sent to Helmut Marko

Sergio Perez has dropped a few bombshells ahead of his F1 comeback with his new team, Cadillac. The driver was released by Red Bull at the end of 2024 after a disappointing season and did not return to racing in 2025.

Recalling his days at Red Bull, Checo has now revealed how he was once told to see a psychologist, and how just one call cost a whopping £6,000, a bill he passed on to then team mentor Helmut Marko.

Sergio Perez on Red Bull psychologist session and £6,000 bill

Sergio Perez is well past his days at Red Bull, but he revisited that challenging time ahead of his F1 comeback. Days before his Cadillac debut, the 35-year-old Mexican looked back on the period when he made his debut with Red Bull.

Speaking on the Cracks Podcast, Perez revealed how he couldn’t produce the expected results in his first few races at Red Bull, prompting the impatient team to ask him to see a psychologist.Sharing his experience with the psychologist, he said, “I was completely open to it, so I agreed. I spoke to the psychologist and said, ‘Look, I don’t really have time for a full session today, but let’s talk, let’s find an hour.’ He was English.

Everything was set.”Perez went on to add how, one day when he arrived at the Red Bull factory, he was informed about a bill in his name. “It was £6,000 from the psychologist. I said, ‘Can you send it to Helmut? He’s going to pay for it.’ It was £6,000 for a single call. Later, Helmut asked me, ‘So, how did it go?’ I told him, ‘Perfect, with this session, we’re already good.’ And that was it. We lasted three years. The psychologist ‘cured’ me, the results started to come, so clearly that call worked,” he added.

Sergio Perez’s stint at Red Bull

Sergio Perez joined Red Bull in 2021, replacing Alex Albon. He showed improvement from his maiden year by finishing fourth in the championship, followed by third and then second in the following seasons. However, he suffered a downturn in form in 2024 and was shown the door after a winless season. He is now all set to return to the track with Cadillac, alongside Valtteri Bottas.Also read: “It was a problem”: Sergio Perez opens up on being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate