Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has explained why the team did not consider hiring Carlos Sainz to replace Sergio Perez.
The news has been official since last night: the Mexican has been excluded from the team for 2025, the contract being terminated. His replacement will be either Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda, with an announcement which could come today or in the coming days.
Sainz was always seen as a logical option for Red Bull, before Perez was extended ahead of the summer.
Is there no regret today?
“I think Carlos is a great driver and we’ve seen that this year at times. You have to take into account all the different criteria and all the dynamics.”
“At the time we extended Checo’s contract, you have to remember that he was second in the world championship and had finished on the podium in the first four races out of five.
“So we can’t talk about regret.”
“At the time of signing [du contrat de Perez]it was therefore a logical extension to put an end to the speculations which were already circulating a lot within the team. Of course, any contract has certain clauses and performance criteria, so this made no difference to Sergio’s decision to walk away and take a sabbatical.”
So, according to Horner, what went wrong for a driver who, at his peak, was Verstappen’s closest teammate since Daniel Ricciardo’s departure at the end of 2018?
“He’s not really sure. The car has become narrower in his performance window. He’s struggled with that compared to Max Verstappen. There’s a huge gap in the points between the two drivers.”
“He struggled with that, then it puts pressure on him and the more you try sometimes the slower you go.”
“It almost became a vicious circle for him. Flashes of form in Azerbaijan, but unfortunately it didn’t translate into points [à cause d’un accrochage avec Carlos Sainz]. So it’s been an extremely frustrating campaign for him.”
“It hurt us very badly in the constructors’ championship.”
When Red Bull dropped Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly from their senior team, they were given a place in the junior team.
According to Horner, it was never a serious option for Perez to join Racing Bulls in 2025.
“I think at the stage Checo is at in his career, that wouldn’t have really been an option for him.”
“It’s not something we’ve really discussed or even talked about. He’s made this decision now and we fully support it.”
Perez’s father, Antonio Perez Garibay, confirms: “It’s a complete release for Checo.”
“There is no plan B, no plan C. Today, at this moment, the Formula 1 page closes for us. However, when he was fired from Racing Point, he There was no plan B either. At that point, F1 was over for us too.”
“Right now, he has nothing left in front of him. We have to accept it. Let him enjoy his family.”
