The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will mark the end of so many partnerships in Formula 1, many of which are near the top end of the grid.
Mercedes’ affiliation with Lewis Hamilton will close after 11 years, Carlos Sainz will say goodbye to Ferrari after four seasons – and Sergio Perez may be in the same boat with Red Bull too.
Team boss Christian Horner seems done with Perez, after a terrible run of form and an 18-race stretch without a podium.
That’s in an RB20 car which Max Verstappen has just claimed the world championship in – clearly, there is plenty of pace there to be utilised.
Max Verstappen must take ‘blame’ for demanding Sergio Perez as his teammate
Verstappen has a history of trouncing his Red Bull teammates, just look at how he managed to destroy both Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon in quick succession.
Perez managed to hold his own for a while but is clearly past his expiry date now, and needs to move on despite having a 2025 contract.
That’s the issue for Red Bull – finding a way to get him out of the door, which currently involves them having to buy him out of the remainder of his current deal.
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Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan says that Verstappen needs to take some blame for the way Perez’s career has faltered.
“I would say that it’s not a chance. But I put some blame on the team and I put some blame on Max because I know and you know that Max put pressure on Christian – he did not want Carlos Sainz in the car.
“He wanted Checo in the car because he knew he could beat him. To be fair, Max has to just think about that a little bit. Christian has to think about that, they will deny it.”
Who will be Verstappen’s new teammate?
Who could replace Perez after the conclusion of the season is a bit up in the air, but we know it’s probably between the two Visa Cash App RB drivers.
Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda both have one final opportunity to prove that they deserve a chance with the senior team in 2025.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is an important one for their team too, with an outside shot at sixth place in the constructors standings and extra prize money up for grabs.
READ MORE: What Christian Horner has never done publicly which suggests Yuki Tsunoda won’t replace Sergio Perez
Whichever one of them can seize the initiative and lead their team to glory stands a great chance of being promoted.
Lawson is in a slightly better position it seems currently, but there are doubts that come with both of their abilities and that is why neither have been confirmed yet.
