Sergio Perez could be on his way out of F1 after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix if he does not pull off a spectacular result to save his Red Bull career.
The Mexican left the Qatar Grand Prix having failed to finish on the podium for the 18th Grand Prix in a row, while Max Verstappen won his ninth of the season in a car that was arguably the most inferior on the weekend.
Red Bull made strides in between the Sprint race and qualifying for the Grand Prix after Perez finished last and was overtaken by Franco Colapinto in the pit lane, which did not impress team principal Christian Horner.
Amid mounting pressure for the Mexican to improve his results, Horner told Perez he must ‘come to his own conclusions’ over whether to continue with his 2025 contract with Red Bull signed earlier this season. Mexican journalist Javier Trejo Garay believes this means only one thing when speaking on ESPN SportsCenter.
Sergio Perez told he must make Red Bull retirement decision ‘out of dignity’
Horner’s comments are a strong indication that Red Bull management would rather Perez decide himself to leave the team, instead them severing ties with the Mexican.
Any possibility of them terminating his 2025 contract could see Red Bull lose millions in sponsorship money, which Perez has brought in since he joined the team back in 2021.
Mexican media seems adamant that Perez will need to decide on his future within the team when discussing his future.
“It seems to me that we are seeing a statement that is more formal, more series, more forceful, even practically asking Checo in public to resign and leave,” said Trejo Garay.
“Saying ‘We are going to wait for Checo’s decision’ he is already old enough to understand how things work and saying ‘Lets wait for him to make a decision’ is to tell him ‘I’m not going to fire you or liquidate your contract of 30 or 40 million dollars, I hope that you make a decision out of dignity.’”
When asked on where he sees Perez racing in future, he responded: “I see him racing in other catagories like the American Le Mans series, I don’t think he will accept retirement and go home for the next year.”
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It is expected that a decision on Perez’s future will be decided imminently over the Abu Dhabi GP weekend, with a meeting also set to take place between key Red Bull personnel over the matter.
Some people at Red Bull are secretly hoping that Perez will retire this winter to avoid any awkward parting of ways.
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Perez’s father thinks he has no intention of stopping racing in F1, having claimed that he still has what it takes to be World Champion.
Given how far off he has been to Verstappen throughout the season in the RB20 this year, it seems unlikely his form will improve in what will effectively be an evolution of this car in 2025.
