Red Bull Racing will have their first new driver pairing since the start of the 2021 season heading into next year.
Sergio Perez has finally discovered his fate after a difficult campaign that saw him finish eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Red Bull confirmed Perez’s exit on Wednesday but didn’t name his successor at the time.
Liam Lawson is expected to step up to the Red Bull team despite having only taken part in 11 Grand Prix across two seasons.
It’s a tough blow for his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda to take and may indicate that his long-term future is away from the Anglo-Austrian outfit.
Perez’s departure from Red Bull has been incredibly drawn out, having survived a vote of confidence during the summer break.
After being handed a new contract as recently as the break before the Canadian Grand Prix that could have run until the end of the 2026 season, Perez failed to lift his performances.
He showed glimpses of the driver Red Bull signed in 2020 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix before crashing with Carlos Sainz in the closing stages.
Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the second half of the year, leaving Perez in an untenable position.
Red Bull granted Sergio Perez final ‘privilege’ after F1 exit
A report from Autoracer has shared more details about how Perez’s departure played out.
The 34-year-old driver released a statement on Wednesday afternoon, thanking the team for the past four seasons.
Verstappen sent Perez a message, while team principal Christian Horner also paid tribute to the six-time race winner.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname
The report from Autoracer suggests that Perez, alongside his severance package, was also granted the final ‘privilege’ of being able to announce his separation from the team himself.
While some may not see that as a particularly important point, it allowed the 34-year-old to control the narrative and send him own message to fans before they discovered via Red Bull that he was moving on.
Perez enjoyed more patience than a lot of Red Bull’s previously underperforming drivers.
And while economic factors may have played a role in that given he delivered a large amount of sponsorship to the team, he was also essential in helping them win two Construtors’ Championships.
Max Verstappen pays tribute to Sergio Perez’s contribution to Red Bull
While Perez may be remembered for a difficult 2024 season, his contribution to Red Bull over the past three seasons – and Formula 1 as a whole since his debut in 2011 – shouldn’t be understated.
Mexico has a rich racing pedigree but before Perez, the country hadn’t had a driver on the grid since Hector Rebaque in 1981.
Esteban Gutierrez followed him into F1 in 2013 but only scored six points across his 59 races before dropping off the grid.
READ MORE: Best moments of Sergio Perez’s F1 career including first pole, podium, win and more
Perez is the most successful Mexican driver in F1 history and the growth the sport experienced in his home country saw the Mexico City Grand Prix return to the calendar.
Verstappen paid tribute to Perez’s importance to Red Bull, in particular how he helped him win his first world championship.
That task is likely to fall to Lawson and while 2024 didn’t go to plan, the Kiwi has a lot to live up to.
