Sergio Perez has been urged to choose the peaceful route forward as the Mexican driver shows no sign of leaving Red Bull of his own volition.

Perez is racing in what is understood to be his last race with Red Bull, although he has given no indication that he will leave of his own accord.

David Coulthard: Red Bull/Perez will come down to money

Perez’s poor form has led Red Bull to make the decision to try extricating him from his cockpit for 2025, having survived a mid-season last-second change of mind on a call to swap him and Daniel Ricciardo at the two Red Bull teams.

Having signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull earlier this season, Perez’s form promptly tailed off dramatically, and he is set to be replaced by either Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda for next season.

Perez is understood to be welcome to stay part of the Red Bull family in an ambassadorship-type role, involving marketing runs and being a brand ambassador globally – a similar role to the one enjoyed by former Red Bull F1 driver turned TV commentator David Coulthard.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner spoke to media, including PlanetF1.com, in Qatar and said it’s up to Perez to “make his own conclusions” regarding the situation – a statement which could be interpreted as a veiled plea to step down voluntarily and accept the role, rather than try to be stubborn and insist on keeping his place.

With Lawson and Tsunoda waiting in the wings, a decision on how to proceed is expected to be made in the days immediately following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Perez’s insistence on him remaining a Red Bull driver in 2025 suggesting he isn’t going without a fight.

Added to that, Perez’s father, Antonio Perez Garibay, has threatened to release a list of journalists and publications who have told “lies” about his son’s future with Red Bull.

Coulthard spoke to PlanetF1.com on Friday evening in the Abu Dhabi paddock, and the Scot suggested the situation is evolving based on financial negotiations behind the scenes.

“Contracts are contracts. It works both ways,” he said.

“A driver can’t just walk away from a team and a team can’t just walk away from a driver. There’s always a negotiation.

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“If the relationship is not working – in this case, that means the gap between the two drivers is beyond what it should be, given the wings and engines and all that. It’s natural a team will want to find a solution.

“It’s natural a driver will want to hang in to get his contract honoured. It’s gonna be a long conversation and it’ll come down to one thing – money.”

But, with Perez digging his heels in, Coulthard urged the Red Bull driver to step down and choose the peaceful option.

“Given the relationship they’ve had together, and the success they’ve had together – the wins he’s had – I would choose amicable in the face of inevitability rather than screaming and shouting,” he said.

“You might end up with a nation behind you going, you know, ‘nasty Red Bull’.

“But when you’ve been through emotional roller coasters together and you’ve been a good servant to the team… choose love, not war. Choose peace.

“It’s just too easy for people to fall out and slag each other off, and it could eventually fall on deaf ears because the world moves on.

“I would love to see Checo bang out a brilliant weekend because he’s a really nice guy.

“I don’t think anyone in the panic would say he’s controversial or not approachable, or any of those things.

“So it’s always difficult to see someone struggling, but he has been struggling.”

With the Red Bull driver line-ups contingent on the split with Perez, it’s expected Formula 2 title protagonist Isack Hadjar will step up into the seat alongside Lawson or Tsunoda – whichever driver is not promoted to the main team alongside Max Verstappen.

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