Saturday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Christian Horner confirming a new role at Red Bull for Sergio Perez for F1 2025 and Toto Wolff overlooking Lewis Hamilton in an end-of-year vote.

Hold on tight: it’s time to charge through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed…

F1 news: New Sergio Perez role, Lewis Hamilton snubbed and more

Christian Horner confirms new Red Bull plan for Sergio Perez

Christian Horner has confirmed that Sergio Perez will appear in a “couple of show runs” for Red Bull in F1 2025 after losing his race seat to Liam Lawson.

Red Bull announced this week that Perez will vacate his race seat for the F1 2025 season, with Lawson stepping up from the Racing Bulls junior team to become Max Verstappen’s new team-mate.

Horner has revealed that Perez will appear in a number of show runs – public demonstrations of old F1 cars, often taking place on the streets of major cities – next season in a sign that the 34-year-old will maintain his ties to Red Bull.

Read more: New Sergio Perez role confirmed with F1 2025 run plan in place

Sergio Perez set for ‘total retirement’ with F1 window ‘closing’

Sergio Perez’s departure from a Red Bull seat for F1 2025 is likely to signal the end of his Formula 1 racing career.

That is the belief of his father, Antonio Perez Garibay, who has admitted that his son is facing a “total retirement” with no back-up plan on the table.

Perez made his debut with Sauber in 2011, representing the McLaren and Force India teams before joining Red Bull at the start of 2021.

Read more: Concerning Sergio Perez F1 career verdict reached after Red Bull exit

Max Verstappen wins new award in unanimous F1 2024 team principal vote

Formula 1’s team bosses have unanimously voted Max Verstappen as the best driver of the F1 2024 season.

It is the first time in the history of the award that all 10 team principals have agreed upon the winner, with rival team bosses – including Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, McLaren’s Andrea Stella and Fred Vasseur of Ferrari – overlooking their own drivers.

Verstappen won nine races en route to a fourth consecutive World Championship in F1 2024.

Read more: Max Verstappen F1 dominance returns in record-breaking 2024 title win

Lewis Hamilton set to sign deal with Ferrari sponsor

Lewis Hamilton is close to finalising a deal with Ferrari sponsor Celsius ahead of his move from Mercedes for the F1 2025 season, it has been claimed.

Hamilton was closely associated with Monster for most of his Mercedes career before the energy drink switched allegiance to McLaren at the end of 2023.

A report has claimed that Hamilton is set to link up with rival energy drink Celsius, which became a permanent Ferrari sponsor earlier this year.

Read more: Lewis Hamilton set to sign up with Ferrari sponsor after Monster deal ends – report

Lewis Hamilton ‘planned Ferrari move all along’

Lewis Hamilton always planned to join Ferrari at some stage during his F1 career.

That is the claim of Mercedes man Stephen Lord, who has revealed that the subject of a potential move to Ferrari cropped up in a conversation with Hamilton some years ago with the seven-time World Champion hinting that a switch was on his mind.

Lord revealed that he assumed Hamilton would be “tempted back to” McLaren, with whom he began his F1 career back in 2007.

Read more: Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move his ‘plan all along’, claims Mercedes stalwart