Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle has admitted he will be “slightly relieved when it’s over” for Sergio Perez, describing the Red Bull driver’s current situation as “purgatory.”

PlanetF1.com understands that Perez is set to be dropped by Red Bull ahead of F1 2025 after a 2024 disastrous campaign, with Racing Bulls star Liam Lawson likely to become Max Verstappen’s new team-mate for next season.

Martin Brundle ‘relieved’ end in sight for Sergio Perez at Red Bull

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Despite signing a new two-year contract in June, Perez has struggled to fight off speculation surrounding his future having failed to record a podium finish since the Chinese Grand Prix back in April.

Perez, 34, ended the F1 2024 season seven places and 285 points adrift of team-mate Verstappen, who was crowned World Champion for the fourth season in succession in Las Vegas last month.

Having entered last weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi insistent that he intends to see out the entirety of his new Red Bull contract, Perez conceded after the race at Yas Marina that he and the team are “talking to try to see what’s best moving forward.”

Sergio Perez set to leave Red Bull – will he be back in F1 2026?

👉 Eight times Sergio Perez has been the perfect team-mate for Max Verstappen

👉 F1 2026 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2026 grid?

He told media including PlanetF1.com: “We’re going to be talking in the coming days and we will discuss what the situation is from both parties and see if we are able to reach an agreement.

“If not, like I said, I’ve got a contract for next year.”

Appearing on Sky F1‘s television coverage of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Brundle likened Perez’s situation to that of Daniel Ricciardo, who was ruthlessly dropped by the Racing Bulls team in September having largely struggled since his 2023 comeback.

Ricciardo, also 34, had previously enjoyed a productive spell at Red Bull, with whom he claimed all but one of his eight career victories between 2014-18, before challenging spells with Renault, McLaren and Racing Bulls.

Brundle said: “I feel the same way about Sergio as I did about Daniel Ricciardo, actually.

“I have the utmost respect for the person and the driver and the victories he’s had and some of the great overtakes and all the things we’ve seen Sergio do.

“Sometimes in subpar cars, as well, he’s won races without the fastest car on the track. Total respect.

“But I’ll be slightly relieved when it’s over. It must be purgatory for him at the moment.

“He’s lost his mojo, he’s lost his way and all the pressure that’s being heaped on that, it must be [difficult].

“To turn up to the track every day must be painful.”

Brundle went on to claim that Verstappen’s impact has hurt Red Bull’s quest to unearth fresh talent, claiming there is no “obvious” replacement for Perez despite Lawson’s likely promotion.

He added: “Red Bull are paying the price for having the brilliance of Max Verstappen in the team. They don’t really have the obvious solution.”

In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com in Abu Dhabi, Lawson declared himself ready to partner Verstappen at Red Bull.

And he played down concerns that he could follow in the footsteps of Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, who both struggled alongside Verstappen after being promoted from the Racing Bulls junior team.

He said: “I don’t know what they felt when they were there.

“You can always look at it as an outsider and think: ‘This is what it looks like they felt.’ But I don’t know what it was like for them.

“I believe, for anybody to go up against Max, you have to be realistic and know that he’s the fastest guy on the grid right now and that you’re not going to be outqualifying the guy by half a second.

“It’s not going to be something that’s really going to be happening. For me, it’s more the opportunity that’s there to learn from the best.

“For me as a driver, to be able to go in against the guy who’s won four world championships and is well seasoned… he’s been in that car for a long time.

“That car is almost… not developed around him, but he’s been a massive part of developing that car and understands it very well.

“In terms of how to drive it, it’s all right there on paper.

“When you see all the data that he brings in, for me as a driver to be alongside that, to be able to learn from him and have all that access, I think that’s what’s exciting for me about the opportunity… if that opportunity was to come in the future.”

Read next: Liam Lawson exclusive: The exciting ‘opportunity’ of being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate