Red Bull faces a decision to make after Abu Dhabi over whether they will continue with Sergio Perez for the 2025 season.
It comes after a series of poor results for the Mexican in which he has failed to score points in three of the last four races, with Zhou Guanyu scoring more points than him with his P8 in the Qatar Grand Prix.
Red Bull is now consigned to third in the Constructors’ Championship, with Perez’s overall points contribution being a major factor in them missing out on a third title in a row.
Perez is under contract for 2025 but his future is set to be discussed during a summit between key Red Bull shareholders post-Abu Dhabi. Team principal Christian Horner has told Perez to ‘come to his own conclusions’ amid mounting pressure to retire, after finishing last in the Qatar GP Sprint.
Talk has turned to who could replace Perez, with Liam Lawson in line for a potential seat at the top team to pair Max Verstappen next season. It would leave a place at Visa CashApp RB, which could be filled by one driver Horner said he was impressed with when speaking to PlanetF1.com.
Isack Hadjar could be in line for Visa CashApp RB promotion
Isack Hadjar heads into the final round of the F2 championship with just half a point separating him and Sauber-bound Gabriel Bortoleto.
Helmut Marko previously described Hadjar as an ‘incredible’ talent when speaking to Speedweek, with the Red Bull junior putting in an impressive race to outscore his championship rival by finishing second in Qatar after Bortoleto was handed a time penalty for a pit lane infraction.
With the F2 title in reach, winning it in Abu Dhabi would be the ideal scenario for Red Bull as it could give them leverage to promote the Frenchman.
“It was good to see Isack Hadjar doing a good job in Formula 2 as well,” said Horner.
“I think there’s half a point between the drivers going into the final race in Abu Dhabi. Liam and Yuki were very closely matched in that race [Qatar], in terms of pace, so we’ve got a full stable of drivers.”
Red Bull hopeful for Sergio Perez retirement before 2025
Perez needs to have a perfect end to his 2024 season if he wants to have any chance of retaining his seat next year.
Since the summer break his form has tailed off massively, even at circuits he has historically pulled out results such as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
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People within Red Bull are hopeful that he decides to retire over the winter break, as it will give them time to prepare any new driver for the 2025 season.
Perez’s father has stated that he has no intention of stopping, with his eyes set on becoming a world champion before he leaves F1.
