The Sergio Perez prediction that involves Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 axe

Sergio Perez may not drive a single metre in the Red Bull next season, or so says Ralf Schumacher, but Juan Pablo Montoya believes he has one thing going in his favour, “money”.

Perez has stumbled from one disappointing weekend to another in what he concedes has been a “terrible season” with Red Bull, the driver scoring 151 points to Max Verstappen’s 393.

Sergio Perez will not leave quietly like Daniel Ricciardo

Additional reporting by Pablo Hidalgo

Adding a miserly eight to his tally in the last five races, Red Bull are weighing up their options for F1 2025. Already the team has made one big change with an eye to 2025, dropping Daniel Ricciardo in favour of giving Liam Lawson a six-race audition.

The Kiwi has excelled in that, scoring points in two of his three races, while Williams rookie sensation Franco Colapinto is also in the running.

PlanetF1.com understands Red Bull team boss Christian Horner visited Williams in Mexico to discuss Colapinto’s future with team boss James Vowles. However, a day later Brazilian journalist Orlando Ríos claimed Horner was not there about the Argentinean, he wants Carlos Sainz as Verstappen’s team-mate.

With Red Bull’s potential options increasing almost daily, BBC reporter Jennie Gow even suggesting Valtteri Bottas for the job, Ralf Schumacher is convinced Perez will not be a Red Bull next season.

“Next year he won’t drive a single metre in the car anyway, I’m pretty sure of that,” the former F1 driver told Sky Deutschland after Perez’s point-less Mexican GP.

“Red Bull will make a decision after this weekend. There’s no point in it all anymore, for either side. And above all, financially, this is a disaster for the team.”

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Does Ralf Schumacher ‘know something’ about Sergio Perez?

But if you ask Montoya, Perez will be on the grid next season.

Stating that although it is clear that Red Bull do not want Perez for next season, the Mexican driver is not ready to retire and, with a contract in hand for 2025, will fight the situation.

It’s a fight he could win as, unlike Ricciardo, who was dropped from VCARB after the Singapore GP, Perez brings money to Red Bull through his personnel sponsors.

“Checo insists that he is going to stay next year,” Montoya said in an interview with W Radio Colombia. “I personally also believe he will still be on the grid in 2025.

“Obviously, they [Red Bull] don’t want him there. They want him out, 100 per cent.

“Someone told me that Ralf Schumacher said: ‘Checo is not going to do any lap with the 2025 Red Bull’. I don’t know if that’s information he’s received from Germany, Austria or Red Bull.

“He knows something, but I don’t think Checo is going to give in so easily.

“Checo already said he wanted to retire on his own terms. He doesn’t want the same thing to happen to him as Ricciardo. And the big difference between Ricciardo and Checo is that Checo brings money to the team and Ricciardo does not.”

The Colombian also cannot see Colapinto taking Perez’s Red Bull seat and reckons if changes are made, it will be Sainz who takes the Red Bull seat and Colapinto will continue with Williams.

“Now Checo has the fame he has and he is attacked very easily. He doesn’t have an easy situation. He’s in a horrible position because I feel like everybody wants him out,” he added.

“I don’t know if he deserves it or not because nobody knows what is going on behind closed doors. But a lot of people are pushing to put another driver in there and that’s the only chance Colapinto has to be on the grid in 2025.

“And I don’t think he has a chance at Red Bull, I think he would have a chance at Williams if Red Bull takes Carlos.”

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