Sergio Pérez will officially lose his driving seat at Red Bull Racing later this week. Liam Lawson will succeed him alongside Max Verstappen.
Sergio Pérez has admitted for the first time that he is not sure whether he will keep his seat for the 2025 F1 season. As rumors of his ouster from Red Bull intensify, the Mexican, although under contract, now seems less confident.
Christian Horner, the team director, himself did not hide his disappointment regarding Pérez's season. Speaking after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he said: “Checo is a great person, but it didn’t work out well this year.”
Horner recalled the importance of a strong second driver to win the F1 constructors' standings, a task that Pérez struggled to fulfill against Max Verstappen, unbeatable at the wheel of the RB20.
“It's a difficult car to drive, and Max is the most formidable teammate in the world. This makes it extremely difficult to get the most out of the car.”
A decisive meeting is planned for today at Red Bull Racing headquarters, where Pérez's future will be discussed in detail.
Helmut Marko and the question of replacement
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed that decisions regarding the composition of the Red Bull and Racing Bulls teams will be made in the coming days. An official announcement is expected by the end of the week, after Yuki Tsunoda's testing at the wheel of Red Bull.
The latest rumors suggest that Red Bull have left Pérez with two options: leave the team gracefully with an ambassadorial role or ask for a severance package, severing all ties with the team.
“This year has been difficult. We will discuss what is best for everyone” Perez said.
Verstappen backs Pérez in the face of criticism
Max Verstappen, four-time world champion, lent his support to his teammate: “I always enjoyed working with Checo. It's rare to find a teammate like him. People are very hard on him, sometimes to a fault.”
Although he admitted that some weekends were complicated for Pérez, Verstappen highlighted the difficulty of driving a car like the RB20.
Who to replace Pérez?
The main favorite to take Pérez's place is Liam Lawson. The young New Zealander said he was ready to take on the challenge despite the constant pressure.
“I have lived with this type of pressure for six years. I can give them what they are looking for” he declared.
Yuki Tsunoda, for his part, is more reserved, recognizing that politics plays an important role in Formula 1.
If Lawson or Tsunoda moves to Red Bull, it is Frenchman Isack Hadjar who will join Racing Bulls in 2025, adding a new dimension to the team's young talent pipeline.
Pérez's future should become clearer in the coming days, but one thing is certain: the pressure is at its peak within the world champion team, and the Mexican competed in his last race under the colors of Red Bull Racing last Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
