Sergio Perez could be participating in his final Formula 1 race for Red Bull Racing this weekend.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will see plenty of important battles decided, but for Red Bull, their fight in both championships is over.
Max Verstappen wrapped up his fourth F1 title in Las Vegas, while the team know that they’ll finish third in the Constructors’ Championship unless a bizarre set of circumstances take place.
Sergio Perez suddenly faces a crucial race where one more sub-par performance could see him removed from his seat ahead of 2025.
Perez is under serious pressure at Red Bull following a campaign where he’s failed to finish on the podium since April.
At that time, he watched the other seven drivers racing for the top four accelerate away from him in the Drivers’ Championship.
Verstappen currently sits 277 points ahead of him and Perez will match Jos Verstappen’s record from 1994 of finishing eighth or lower than their teammate in the championship.
German journalist Felix Gorner has now shared with sport.de what he’s heard about who Red Bull could replace Perez with.
Helmut Marko has ruled out a move for Franco Colapinto, leaving the two RB drivers – Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda – as the team’s most likely candidates.
At this time, Gorner believes that Christian Horner and Marko are leaning towards a move for the £15k-a-week driver Tsunoda.
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko leaning towards Yuki Tsunoda as Sergio Perez’s replacement
Talking about the situation at Red Bull, Gorner said: “Speculation continues to be heated in the Formula 1 paddock about who will be Max Verstappen’s new teammate next year. At Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda is currently tipped to replace Sergio Perez. He is currently in the lead when it comes to replacing Checo.
“The question at the moment is: Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson? And both Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are leaning towards Tsunoda at the moment.
“Now we are waiting for the Abu Dhabi race to settle the matter with Perez. But all signs point to a replacement. So we assume that it will end up being Tsunoda.”
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Horner has had doubts about Tsunoda during his four years with RB and was initially signed up to race for the soon-to-be-named Racing Bulls in 2025.
His Honda connections mean Tsunoda could leave the Red Bull family next year, but at a time when they need a more experienced driver to partner Verstappen, he may finally get his opportunity.
Yuki Tsunoda set to receive Red Bull chance in Abu Dhabi post-season test
Despite being with Red Bull’s sister team for nearly 90 races, Tsunoda has never driven one of their cars, even in a testing environment.
However, that will change after the final race in Abu Dhabi as he takes part in the team’s post-season test.
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Sam Bird would choose Tsunoda to partner Verstappen and after such a long time with Red Bull’s junior team, it feels like the right moment to test whether he has what it takes to run alongside Verstappen.
The RB team in its various guises over the years has been designed to train drivers up to be ready to challenge for victories and championships with Red Bull.
It’s hard to see how a fifth year with RB would benefit Tsunoda and so if he’s overlooked at this stage, he needs to find a new path within F1.
