Sergio Perez insists Lewis Hamilton has taken a 'big risk' to decide to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari in 2025.
The Brit will cut short his Mercedes contract after the 2024 campaign and Perez believes he will have a 'massive challenge' ahead of him.
Hamilton has won six of his seven world titles since joining Mercedes in 2013 but has decided to seek a new venture with Ferrari.
The 39-year-old has failed to win a race in the last two seasons and clearly believes Ferrari would give him a better chance of finishing his career on a high.
Lewis Hamilton has been told he has made a big risk joining Ferrari from Mercedes
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Ferrari were the only team other than Red Bull to win a race last year, with Carlos Sainz triumphing at the Singapore Grand Prix.
But it will be Sainz who Hamilton replaces, as he teams up with Charles Leclerc at the Italian giant.
Perez helped unveil Red Bull's new car for the 2024 season on Thursday evening.
The 34-year-old claims Hamilton has made a 'big commitment' by joining Ferrari, especially having an 'established' team-mate such as Leclerc.
Perez told Sky Sports: "Well I think that's a big commitment, big risk in many ways.
"You know, joining a new team it's always a massive challenge because I think Charles is going to be really established at Ferrari at the time he comes in.
"There's also a massive regulation change in 2026, which is a good opportunity.
"But, there is always a big risk in changing teams, but I think he really wanted to do it."
Perez won two races last year, with Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen grabbing the headlines with his third successive world title.
The Mexican driver admits he lacked confidence at times in 2023 but is hoping for improvement this season.
Perez told formula1.com: "I’ve been trying to get the best overall understanding of the directions the team have taken with this car and where we have been with the car – that is something we have worked really hard to understand, which direction we have been pushing."
"We started the year really strong but we didn’t really improve all year.
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Sergio Perez says Lewis Hamilton faces a massive challenge at Ferrari
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"It is something to keep aware of – to make the right steps in the right direction. There were times [last year] where I was lacking confidence.
"It’s important to develop that through the season, chipping away each weekend."
Meanwhile, Leclerc revealed this week that he caught wind of Hamilton's move to Ferrari before it was announced.
Leclerc said: "This kind of deal is not finalised overnight, and I was aware of those discussions (with Hamilton) before I signed my deal so it did not come as a surprise.
Sergio Perez helped unveil Red Bull's new car for the 2024 season
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"Obviously, Lewis is an incredible driver, the most successful in history, and he brings a lot of experience to the team.
"I had discussions with Lewis, especially when everything was announced and official. We texted each other.
"He is a great champion with so much success. It is always interesting to have a new team-mate, because you learn different ways of driving and working, and even more so when my new team-mate is a seven-time world champion."
