Sergio Perez knows the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is likely to be his final race as a Red Bull driver. Team principal Christian Horner heavily hinted in Qatar that the team will look to move on.
It’s possible that this could be Perez’s last-ever F1 outing. He’s due to turn 35 in January and his stock has plummeted during the 2024 season in particular.
Perez’s enormous commercial backing could offer a route back onto the grid in 2026. But with F1 teams generally in better financial health than ever, this won’t be as great an incentive as it was in the past.
What’s more, Perez says he wants to spend more time with his family. At 24 races, the 2024 season was the longest ever, and the 2025 calendar is the same.
When he takes stock, and assuming he accepts Red Bull’s pay-off proposal, he may decide to walk away. If so, he’ll be determined to remind the F1 world of his talents at Yas Marina.
Perez didn’t score a single point at the Qatar GP, his sixth fruitless weekend of the season. That includes four DNFs, the second-most by Alex Albon (six).
Sergio Perez took up ‘guinea pig’ role for Red Bull at Qatar Grand Prix
Perez was running in the top five during Sunday’s race, putting him on course for his best result since the Miami GP at the start of May. But in a moment typical of his wretched season, he spun out behind the safety car and couldn’t get back going again.
Earlier, Perez had suffered an SQ1 exit ahead of the Sprint, prompting the team to opt for a pit-lane start. Horner wasn’t impressed by Perez letting Franco Colapinto through as he willingly accepted last place.
He even made a mid-race stop to fit a new front wing as Red Bull experimented with their underperforming car. This ‘guinea pig’ work, in the words of Motorsport.com’s Christian Nimmervoll, may have helped Max Verstappen make a breakthrough.
Having finished an anonymous seventh in the Sprint, Verstappen took a surprise pole for the Grand Prix and went on to win the race. Nimmervoll says Perez’s contribution could be his ‘last great act’ before a ‘big farewell’ in Abu Dhabi.
One potential Sergio Perez replacement may struggle to match his popularity
Perez has been willing to ‘put himself at the service of the team’ throughout his four-season Red Bull tenure. The best example of this came at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, when he held up Verstappen’s title rival Lewis Hamilton.
This was key, because it prevented Hamilton gaining a free pit stop over the Dutchman later in the race. When the safety car came out, his hands were tied, and Verstappen was able to pass him on fresher rubber.
Red Bull staff are unhappy with Perez right now because he’s cost them the bonus that comes with winning the constructors’ championship. But in years to come, he will be viewed as a self-sacrificial team player.
Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, the RB duo, are vying to replace Perez. While impressive on track, Tsunoda isn’t ‘hugely popular’ at Red Bull because he’s apparently difficult to work with, so perhaps some employees will come to miss their former colleague next year.
