Red Bull are still yet to make a clear decision on their 2025 Formula 1 driver pairing with just two weeks of the year to go, but does Sergio Perez have any chance of remaining next to Max Verstappen?
Perez made the 2025 Formula 1 entry list this week, suggesting that he may take to the track for Red Bull next season.
However, his torrid performance in 2024 has seen both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda linked to a promotion from Visa Cash App RB.
Red Bull could be set to please Verstappen and retain Perez, who still holds a contract to drive for them in the 2025 season.
It would be a massive shock given how Perez might have cost Red Bull over £23m after multiple crashes and the negative effect he had on their Constructors’ Championship standing.
99% of all Formula 1 contracts are decided before the start of the new year, meaning that if Red Bull are going to make any changes, they will do so within the next two weeks.
Max Verstappen’s ‘excellent’ Sergio Perez verdict could save his Red Bull F1 seat
Perez managed to go 19 races without a podium in a car which teammate Verstappen won the Drivers’ Championship in by a comfortable margin.
The Mexican driver was a shell of his former self and was the only driver from the top four teams not to win any races.
Lewis Hamilton struggled too in 2024, and Perez suffered a very difficult braking issue similar to his Mercedes rival.
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Speaking to Motorsportcom Italia, Antonio Ghini believes that Verstappen’s praise of the 35-year-old as a teammate last week may do him a favour.
“The FIA has published the list of entries for the 2025 world championship, and Red Bull are Verstappen and Perez,” he said.
“According to my theory which says that more has also been seen from Verstappen’s statement, [of] Perez is ‘not an idiot, he’s an excellent teammate’. Perez is fine with him, so the whole scenario is still very open.”
Why Red Bull needs to axe Sergio Perez despite Max Verstappen comments
No matter how great Perez is as a teammate, the reigning champion is always going to prefer having someone that he can beat on the other side of the garage.
Verstappen has options to leave Red Bull after 2025, but as long as he has a comfortable ride and can compete for the title, he isn’t going to go anywhere.
Having a more competitive teammate would bring positives, forcing the Dutchman to raise his levels and pushing him to make improvements.
READ MORE: Why Red Bull called Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen to their factory before expected driver change
Daniel Ricciardo was the last driver who seriously challenged him, and before that, it was Carlos Sainz – who Red Bull had a chance to sign for 2025 and refused.
It’s pretty clear that Perez’s poor performance ended up costing the team two positions, and the extra prize money from the Constructors’ Championship.
He achieved 9.5 points per race, exactly half of Verstappen’s tally (19) in the same car. If he had been half as good, an extra four points per race on average would have been enough for his team to claim the title.
