Helmut Marko says Sergio Perez realised “a resurrection was not possible” given his poor F1 2024 form, with a Red Bull exit the “best thing” for him to do.

While Perez signed a contract extension with the team during the F1 2024 campaign, it was announced earlier this month that he will vacate his Red Bull seat for next season with Liam Lawson stepping up to replace him.

Sergio Perez ‘realised a resurrection was not possible’ before Red Bull exit

Perez entered the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix defiant about his prospects of remaining on the grid for F1 2025, but after talks with senior figures at Red Bull came to the conclusion that he will leave his race seat.

Red Bull promoted from within when picking Lawson as his replacement alongside Max Verstappen, with Perez’s form suffering a drop that proved costly for both team and driver after a solid start to the season.

The team lost out on the Constructors’ title to McLaren, ending the year in third place behind Ferrari, and Marko explained that the form dip Perez had meant leaving the team was for the best.

“He kept hoping that he would find his way back to his old form, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” Marko said of Perez to Sport.de.

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“And then he realised that a resurrection was not possible for him in this environment and that a separation was the best thing.”

Team principal Christian Horner confirmed Perez will remain involved in the Red Bull stable by undertaking show runs next season as he evaluates whether or not to pursue a return to the Formula 1 grid in F1 2026.

Asked if Perez stepping back was equivalent to a sacking by Red Bull, Horner told talkSPORT earlier in December: “No, it’s a little different to that.

“He’s just had a really tough year this year and we sat down – we’d obviously been talking about it a little bit beforehand – and decided that it was right for both of us, just to step back, for him to step out of the car, take a bit of time with his family, work out what he wants to do.

“He’s still going to be involved with the team. He will be doing a couple of show runs with us during next year.

“But it was right for him – because it wasn’t enjoyable for him either, getting all this scrutiny and pressure and expectation every weekend.”

Read next: Why Sergio Perez deserves to be remembered for more than a poor F1 2024