Sergio Perez announces Red Bull departure
Red Bull and Sergio Perez have agreed to terminate his contract at the end of the year. The Mexican who has been with Red Bull has spent much of the last eighteen months under increased pressure after failing to match Max Verstappen and was the only driver from the top four teams who failed to win a race this season.
Perez announced his exit from the seat on social media on Wednesday after driver and team reached “an agreement to part ways”. But it appears he has been sacked by the team
No replacement for the Mexican driver next to world champion Verstappen has yet been announced, although Sky Sports has understood for several weeks that Liam Lawson will land the drive in a promotion from junior team RB.
In an interview explaining Perez’s departure with Sky Sports News, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said a decision had yet to be made between Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda as to who would replace the Mexican. Horner said, “Essentially it will be a choice between Yuki and Liam.”
Red Bull said in a statement that a further announcement on Verstappen’s next team-mate would be made in due course.
In a statement announcing his exit, Perez said: “I’m incredibly grateful for the past four years with Oracle Red Bull Racing and for the opportunity to race with such an amazing team. Driving for Red Bull has been an unforgettable experience and I’ll always cherish the successes we achieved together.”
“We broke records, reached remarkable milestones, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible people along the way. A big thank you to every person in the team from the management, engineers and mechanics, catering, hospitality, kitchen, marketing and communications, as well as everyone at Milton Keynes, I wish you all the best for the future.”
2024 was the Mexican’s worst season, he finished eighth last of the top four teams drivers and seventy-one points behind Lewis Hamilton. He had the lowest percentage of the top four teams drivers.
2024 a year to forget
- Lowest percentage contribution of team’s total points among top four outfits – 26 per cent
- Nine points across the final eight Grand Prix weekends (Verstappen – 134) and 49 points across the final 18 weekends (Verstappen – 301)
- No podium finishes in final 19 Grands Prix
- Six Q1 exits and three Q2 exits in qualifying this season
- Out qualified Verstappen once in the last 41 attempts
- Scored less than half the points of Verstappen
In June in a bid to turn around Perez’s season Red Bull gave him a new contract, but his form didn’t recover and that heavily contributed to Red Bull’s failing to retain the Constructors’ Championship and finishing third behind McLaren and Ferrari.
Horner added “I would like to thank Checo for all he has done for Oracle Red Bull Racing over the past four seasons. From the moment he joined in 2021, he proved himself to be an extraordinary team player, helping us to two constructors’ titles and to our first 1-2 finish in the drivers’ championship.”
“His five wins, all on street circuits, were also a spectacular mark of his determination to always push to the limit. While Checo will not race for the team next season, he will always be an extremely popular team member and a treasured part of our history. Thank you, Checo.”
Perez’s sacking came at the end of a turbulent year for the team off track, the dismissed allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against Horner, the departure of chief technical officer Adrain Newey to Aston Martin and the mid-season slump in form followed by the pressure from Ferrari and McLaren saw them pushed them to third in the constructors.