Red Bull went into the 2024 Formula 1 season as reigning champions but ended it having relinquished the constructors’ championship and with one of their drivers heading out of the door.
Sergio Perez had become the first Red Bull driver in the team’s history to help them achieve a one-two finish in the drivers’ championship in 2023.
However, cracks were already starting to show and after finishing on the podium once in the final eight Grand Prix, Perez’s form barely improved last year.
After four top-three finishes in the first five Grand Prix, Perez failed to return to the rostrum again in 2024 and finished eighth in the standings, nearly 300 points behind teammate Max Verstappen.
Despite signing a contract extension after the Monaco Grand Prix, Perez’s exit was confirmed by Red Bull at the beginning of the winter break.
The driver’s market went crazy in 2024 with seven teams already confirmed to have altered their line-up for the upcoming season.
It meant that there were plenty of options available to Red Bull before they became the eighth manufacturer to make a change.
Youngster Liam Lawson was eventually confirmed as Perez’s replacement, but many people expected Carlos Sainz to be considered by team principal Christian Horner.
Sainz believes Red Bull did him a favour by not signing him as he prepares for his first season as a Williams driver.
Karun Chandhok, speaking to Autosport, has named the driver he thought Red Bull would go for next after overlooking the Spaniard.
Karun Chandhok surprised Red Bull didn’t approach Alex Albon to replace Sergio Perez
Talking about the driver situation at Red Bull, Chandhok said: “The fact that Red Bull has sacked Sergio Perez makes me wonder even more why it didn’t sign Carlos Sainz in the first place.
“Sure, his dad and Jos Verstappen didn’t get on when the boys were at Toro Rosso, but that was a decade ago and, let’s be honest, it’s not like Christian Horner and Jos are best mates now.
“I would have even expected the more experienced Alex Albon to be next in the queue as Red Bull still has a historical link with him.”
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Albon was reportedly offered a deal by Red Bull for 2026 given his previous connection to the team.
However, Albon turned Red Bull down instead choosing to remain at Williams – reportedly signing a £6.5m-a-year deal – despite the difference in the two teams’ performance in recent years.
Albon went to great lengths to try and cope with being Verstappen’s teammate and may not have wanted to relive that again, something Lawson has to bear in mind this year.
Red Bull running out of driver options with Max Verstappen’s future constantly in doubt
With Perez now out of the equation and Yuki Tsunoda not considered an option by Red Bull, Horner and chief advisor Helmut Marko know that they can’t afford for their current drivers to fail.
Isack Hadjar will need to hit the ground running at Racing Bulls and while Horner is very excited about Arvid Lindblad, the F2 star is potentially the final driver ready for Formula 1 in their academy.
While Red Bull were happy to sign Perez from outside of the team’s roster of drivers, it will be even more difficult to replace Lawson if he doesn’t perform – or worse Verstappen if he wants a new challenge – given how few drivers are coming close to the end of their contracts.
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Verstappen has been linked with Aston Martin after they signed Adrian Newey and secured Honda as their power unit supplier, while Mercedes have been interested in the Dutchman for some time.
Horner has suggested he would be interested in George Russell, partially in response to Toto Wolff’s desire to try and sign Verstappen.
Red Bull have been at the top of the sport for years but 2025 could be the turning point for the team if things don’t go to plan.
If that happens and Verstappen decides to move on, it could be an absolute disaster.
