Sergio Perez may be racing with Red Bull for the last time at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the team weigh up sacking him yet the Mexican is clear on what he does not regret.
The Guadalajara native has now enjoyed four years driving for the team from Milton Keynes after replacing Alex Albon in 2021. Yet, despite having a contract for next year, Perez has left Red Bull to consider axing him having produced a season far from befitting their car in 2024.
Max Verstappen has proven what the Red Bull package has been capable of achieving to get his fourth consecutive drivers’ title this term. The Dutchman boasts 429 points ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, yet Perez enters the season-finale on only 152 points from 23 rounds.
Sergio Perez does not ‘regret’ his disastrous 2024 as Red Bull know their fault for his woes
Perez is even guaranteed to finish the 2024 Formula 1 season just eighth in the drivers’ table no matter his result at the Abu Dhabi GP. The 34-year-old’s woe has also cost Red Bull their teams’ title, with McLaren and Ferrari fighting to lift the constructors’ championship instead.
So, motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed Red Bull will discuss firing Perez after the Abu Dhabi GP with a meeting expected on Monday. The six-time Grand Prix winner does have a contract for next year after signing an extension this June, yet the axe is looking large.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Max Verstappen |
429 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
349 |
| 3 |
Charles Leclerc |
341 |
| 4 |
Oscar Piastri |
291 |
| 5 |
Carlos Sainz Jr |
272 |
| 6 |
George Russell |
235 |
| 7 |
Lewis Hamilton |
211 |
| 8 |
Sergio Perez |
152 |
How Christian Horner debates Perez’s future has also changed with the Red Bull team boss almost hinting the Mexican should decide to leave himself. But the three-time pole winner is not looking to quit, with Perez demanding £16m for Red Bull to end his contract a year early.
Perez is also adamant that his disappointing season is not entirely his own fault and that Red Bull bear some of the responsibility for his woes. The 39-time podium finisher also claims he is ‘relaxed’ about the future as Red Bull know Perez’s difficulties were partly due to their car.
“I wouldn’t say I regret [this term] because I gave it [my] all,” Perez told the media ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “With that, I’m pretty relaxed. I think it was just the fact the car was so difficult and we understood the issues too late in the year.
“We were always working with something that wasn’t delivering what we thought. So, the set-up was generally in the wrong direction here and there.
“So, it meant it was super difficult to get 100% out of the Red Bull car, which was a good car this year but it was just too difficult to get the most out of it.”
Sergio Perez needs every excuse possible to stay at Red Bull or have a future in F1
Perez blaming Red Bull and the team’s car for his troubles this season is a rather bold move ahead of them discussing sacking him next week. But it may also have been troublesome if he said before the Abu Dhabi GP that Perez’s deficit to Verstappen was all of his own doing.
READ MORE: Five unforgettable Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Max Verstappen’s controversial title win over Lewis Hamilton
If the Mexican wants to be in Milton Keynes next year, Perez will need valid excuses for why has failed to score a point in four of the past seven Grands Prix, not finished higher than P6 since round six and has scored just 21 points since the summer after the Belgian Grand Prix.
And if the team does sack him – or Perez decides to quit Red Bull – he must also show other possible suitors that this is not the end of the Mexican’s career. Perez will not be on the grid in 2025 unless it is with Red Bull, but Cadillac and General Motors are coming to F1 in 2026.
