Sergio Perez has confirmed his departure from Red Bull after a dismal 2024 season.
The Mexican joined the Milton Keynes-based outfit in 2021 to partner Max Verstappen, and unfortunately became the next driver to be dominated by the Dutchman as he could not get near him in equal machinery.
Perez won only five races for Red Bull as he struggled to get to grips with the machinery or deal with the pressure of racing for the strongest team on the grid. Ralf Schumacher says Perez could have lost his seat in 2023 as he was consistently knocked out before Q3 in a car that won 21 out of 22 races that year.
Nevertheless, Red Bull kept faith in Perez for 2024, and at first, it paid off. The Mexican scored four podiums in the first five races – three of which being second to Verstappen – which led to the team offering him a new contract until the end of 2025.
Red Bull had hoped the Mexican would continue this form with stability at the team and ease the pressure slightly, but if anything, it made matters worse. Perez went on to have his worst season with the Milton Keynes-based outfit as he finished eighth in the standings; 285 points behind Verstappen who won his fourth consecutive title.
The post Sergio Perez made on X about his Red Bull future in September has now backfired horribly
Perez scored 49 points in the last 18 Grand Prix of the season, which ultimately cost Red Bull the constructors’ title as they finished 77 points behind champions McLaren in third.
Ted Kravitz thinks Red Bull losing the constructors’ title was the final straw for Perez as Christian Horner brought the standings to his press briefing at the Qatar Grand Prix, indicating the Mexican would be out of the team.
The 34-year-old faced pressure to keep his seat for much of the 2024 season as Red Bull began to explore their options for 2025. Perez’s last radio message in Abu Dhabi spoke volumes about his future after his DNF as he seemed like he knew his time with the team was up.
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Abu Dhabi was the first time Perez looked to have conceded that his future was not with the Milton Keynes-based outfit in 2025, and he will not want to look back at one post he made on X (formerly Twitter) about his situation with the team.
The Mexican posted on X on September 29th – a week after Daniel Ricciardo was sacked by RB following the Singapore Grand Prix – a meme from The Wolf of Wall Street with the caption: ‘Sprry’, followed by several crying-laughing emojis, indicating that he was not leaving Red Bull.
Fast forward three months and that post has backfired horribly as Perez now finds himself out of Red Bull and F1 after a miserable 2024 season. And X’s community notes made sure to let fans know of the news as it simply now reads underneath Perez’s post: ‘He left.’
Liam Lawson will replace Sergio Perez in 2025
Perez’s departure has led to speculation as to whether the Mexican could remain in F1 in the future. Christian Horner says a move to RB was not an option due to the experience he has and the stage he is at now in his career.
After weeks of speculation, it was officially confirmed on Thursday that Liam Lawson would be replacing Perez for 2025. The Kiwi driver will be promoted from RB after making 11 Grand Prix starts with the team across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
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Red Bull have snubbed Lawson’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda of the seat, who will now remain with RB for 2025 having signed a contract earlier in the year. Tiff Needell thinks Tsunoda should have been promoted to Red Bull given the experience he has in F1 compared to Lawson.
The 22-year-old has been afforded a great opportunity to showcase his talent alongside Verstappen and will present a tough test with the speed and aggressive racecraft he has shown in the sport so far.
F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar is set to replace Lawson at RB in 2025 in what would be the sixth rookie to be confirmed on the grid for next season.
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