The 2024 Formula 1 season was one of the most entertaining campaigns in the sport’s recent history.
Red Bull star Max Verstappen secured a fourth Drivers’ Championship, fending off a faint challenge from Lando Norris in his superior McLaren.
Seven different drivers won multiple races during the longest season in Formula 1 history.
It meant that the Constructors’ Championship went down to the wire, with Norris’ win on the final day of the year enough to earn McLaren their first Constructors’ title this century.
However, there were also several underwhelming performances up and down the grid that have played a role in the driver’s market being more frenetic than ever in 2024.
McLaren and Aston Martin are the only teams to retain both of their drivers, with Red Bull and Racing Bulls only confirming their pairings in the run-up to Christmas.
Sergio Perez was under significant pressure throughout the year as he finished 285 points behind Verstappen by the time the chequered flag flew in Abu Dhabi.
Perez’s Red Bull exit was confirmed after F1’s post-season test, with Liam Lawson stepping up from RB and F2 star Isack Hadjar taking his place.
Talking to Dutch site Formule1.nl, racing driver and pundit Tom Coronel wasn’t impressed with what could be the three-time pole sitter’s final Formula 1 campaign.
Tom Coronel says Sergio Perez was the ‘biggest flop’ of the 2024 F1 season
Speaking about how Perez fared last season, Coronel said: “By far the biggest flop of the season, without a doubt.
“I just don’t understand a number of things. The gap with Max only widened last season, which means he has not grown.
“And I saw him constantly looking for excuses instead of the solution. It is not desirable for Red Bulls to have left him for so long.
“I can imagine Red Bull focusing on one driver with a driver of the calibre of Max Verstappen, but nevertheless: where was Pérez this year?
READ MORE: Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname
“With the experience he has, he should never have been so far behind.
“I also missed the bite, the eagerness with him. As if he was okay with it all.
“Another striking aspect is that, like last year, he did start the season well, but gradually sank deep. As if the energy was out, the battery [was] empty.
“We have seen him do plenty of good things in the past, but this season we had to look for it and that means it was not good enough.”
Red Bull must give Liam Lawson time to justify Sergio Perez decision
Red Bull had to choose between Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda when working out who should replace Perez when it became clear his position was untenable.
As Coronel explains, Perez’s performances dropped off after a few races, and while Verstappen’s results also dipped at this point, he didn’t struggle anywhere near as much as the 34-year-old.
Red Bull eventually apologised to Perez for not listening to his concerns about their car sooner once it became clear that Verstappen was also having trouble with the RB20.
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Lawson was selected to replace Perez and initially, he’ll be expected to support Verstappen rather than win races himself to begin with.
It’s a position many drivers have tried and failed to thrive in alongside Verstappen and while Perez was the perfect teammate for the Dutchman initially, eventually he lost too much confidence to be able to produce the performances he was normally capable of.
The young Kiwi doesn’t have the same level of experience and Red Bull must take that into account when setting his expectations for 2025 and beyond.
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