Formula 1 team Red Bull has fired driver Sergio Perez after months of disappointing results.
Perez has not won a race since April 2023, while teammate Max Verstappen has dominated F1. Perez has rarely been competitive this season.
Perez started the season with four podiums in the first five races, but did not crack the top-3 after that. The last time he finished sixth or better was last May.
Verstappen meanwhile won nine races and claimed his fourth drivers’ championship in 2024.
The last time the gap between the results of an F1 champion and his teammate was this wide was in 1994, when Verstappen’s father, Jos, was fired before the end of the season when Michael Schumacher won the title with Benetton.
Red Bull said on Wednesday that a replacement would be revealed “in due course”.
“Driving for Red Bull was an unforgettable experience and I will always remember the successes we had,” Perez said in a statement.
“We established new brands, reached incredible plateaus and I had the privilege of meeting many great people along the way. I especially thank fans around the world, especially my Mexican fans, for your unconditional support. We will see each other again soon. »
Perez was once dubbed Mexico’s Defense Minister for his support of Verstappen during their first season as teammates, in 2021, as he held off their rivals and allowed Verstappen to escape. This season, they were so far apart on track for most of the time that Perez was unable to help Verstappen.
Red Bull publicly backed Perez by offering him a contract extension until 2026 in June, but performances have not followed. Red Bull tried to placate Perez with the extension, but “it obviously didn’t work,” team boss Christian Horner said earlier this month.
On Wednesday, Horner called Perez a “tremendous team player.”
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