Red Bull leave Sergio Perez to ‘reach his own conclusions’ ahead of final decision

Sergio Perez’s future with Red Bull remains uncertain, with the Mexican left with one opportunity to convince his team he’s the right man for F1 2025.

Perez’s seat at Red Bull is under serious threat after the season finale in Abu Dhabi, with the Mexican’s failure to contribute meaningfully to the team’s title defence resulting in the Milton Keynes-based squad slipping to third in the championship standings.

Christian Horner: Red Bull to support Sergio Perez to Abu Dhabi final lap

Perez is facing being replaced for next season, with Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson the leading contenders to step into the Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen.

A decision on the matter is expected following Abu Dhabi, with the matter of resolving contract matters to manoeuvre Perez out of his race seat being the main priority before worrying about a potential replacement.

Speculation surrounding Perez’s future has swirled almost all season, following his slump in form following the first quarter of the championship.

In Qatar, Perez endured a nightmare weekend – he was eliminated in Q1 before circulating at the back due to a pitlane start, while also surprising team boss Christian Horner by failing to accelerate when the light went green at the end of the pitlane.

This allowed Franco Colapinto to nip by the Red Bull, with Perez later explaining that he had intended the move in order to maximise clear air to carry out setup experimentation for the betterment of the team’s weekend.

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“We sent him to the end of the pit lane seven minutes ahead of Colapinto for a reason,” Horner said after the Grand Prix.

“But look, Checo [Perez] has contributed a huge amount to this team in the four years that he’s been here – the World Championship that Max achieved in 2021, the Constructors’ World Championships in ’22 and ’23 and, obviously, this year has been particularly hard.

In the Grand Prix itself, Perez qualified ninth and was in line for a minor points place when he spun out of the race – a mechanical failure perhaps being to blame, although this is not yet confirmed.

Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, following the chequered flag, Horner spoke about Perez’s difficult weekend and overall form.

“Checo has had a very tough year, and obviously the points tables are what they are,” he said.

“We’re very much focused on really supporting him to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi, and then, obviously, it’s not an enjoyable situation for Checo to be in this position with speculation every week – he’s old enough and wise enough to know what the situation is, and let’s see where we are after Abu Dhabi.”

Asked whether the incident that ended Perez’s race was down to a technical failure, he replied: “We’re just investigating the exact failure, but it looks like he’s spun the car as he’s dropped the clutch, the clutch has had too much temperature go through it.

“One of those things, but more to come after we’ve stripped the car.”

The situation may yet evolve to require Red Bull to push Perez if he’s not willing to jump and, when asked if the situation is down to Perez needing to realise he needs to step away, Horner replied: “I’m gonna let Checo come to his own conclusions. Nobody’s forcing him one way or another. I’m gonna let him… it’s not a nice situation for him to be in.

“He’s won five Grands Prix for us, and he’s had some outstanding performances in races like Singapore, Azerbaijan, and Saudi Arabia, to name but a few.

“Everybody holds Checo in the highest regard and respect. But obviously, the situation that we’re in is as painful for him as it is for the team.”

As for whether Horner has a specific driver in mind to step into the Red Bull after this season, he said: “That’s all hypothetical, subject to what happens with Checo. So let’s get to the end of Abu Dhabi, and then, see where we are.”

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