Against all odds, Sergio Pérez could miraculously save his wheel at Red Bull for the 2025 Formula 1 season thanks to the support of his teammate Max Verstappen.
While Max Verstappen flew through the 2024 Formula 1 championship by winning a new title, Sergio Pérez struggled to keep up. With 19 consecutive races without a podium, the Mexican has largely disappointed.
Worse still, its poor performance would have cost Red Bull two strategic places in the F1 constructors' ranking and nearly 30 million euros in financial losses, between material damage and unobtained bonuses.
Despite this mixed record, Pérez still appears on the provisional list of drivers for 2025. This apparent retention hangs by a thread, but Verstappen, a true figurehead of the Austrian team, recently came to his aid. The four-time world champion did not hesitate to qualify Pérez “an excellent teammate”a statement that could influence Red Bull's direction.
Verstappen and team balance
For Verstappen, the importance of a reliable, but not too threatening, teammate seems essential. Pérez, despite his difficulties, offers a stability that challengers like Daniel Ricciardo or Carlos Sainz would not guarantee. An internal rivalry could push Verstappen to surpass himself, but would also risk disrupting the overall dynamic of the team.
Red Bull must therefore decide between maintaining this stability or taking a gamble with young talents like Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda, from their academy. However, these recruits have not yet demonstrated sufficient consistency to compete at the highest level.
Red Bull facing a strategic decision
With the end of the year approaching, Red Bull must decide quickly. If Verstappen campaigns for the maintenance of Pérez, other voices within the team could favor a change. The Mexican driver's failures in 2024 have clearly harmed the team's performance.
The choice to keep Pérez or try a new approach in 2025 raises a crucial question: will Red Bull favor Verstappen's serenity or his ambition to become unbeatable again in the constructors' standings? The answer will determine the team's future ambitions.
