Bombshell Red Bull report sends shockwaves across Formula 1
The guillotine has fallen at Red Bull with the world champion outfit set to transform what the grid looks like in 2025.
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The guillotine has fallen on Sergio Perez.
Red Bull is reportedly set to officially cut Sergio Perez following a meeting of the team’s shareholders next week — giving the Mexican driver one final ride at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.
The year has been a nightmare for Perez, who will finish eighth in the world championship despite teammate Max Verstappen fending off Lando Norris to defend his crown.
Perez has been made a laughing stock in recent months. Not since Michael Schumacher blew his teammate Jos Verstappen away in 1994 has a driver finished so far below a championship-winning teammate.
He signed a contract extension — through to the end of the 2026 season — earlier this year after Daniel Ricciardo ruined what was rumoured to be a plot from Red Bull boss Christian Horner to get the Australian into Perez’s seat.
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According to ESPN, Red Bull senior figures have made the decision that enough is enough after watching Perez cost the team the constructor’s championship.
The report claims Perez will likely still have a role with the team because the contract extension he signed earlier this year came with some guarantees.
The contract was cleared with the Contract Recognition Board, leading to speculation sacking Perez could cost the team $10m to buy out his deal.
The decision to cut Perez will send shockwaves around the sport with the team now having the difficult decision of finding the best option to replace him.
VCARB driver Yuki Tsunoda has had an impressive second half of the year for the Red Bull junior operation, but Kiwi Liam Lawson has put a strong case forward since he replaced Ricciardo.
According to motorsport.com, no final decision has been made — but the two VCARB drivers are the only options the team is considering.
It makes next week’s final testing event in Abu Dhabi a shootout between the pair.
That will then leave a vacant seat at VCARB with Red Bull again reportedly likely to promote from within its junior nursery of rising stars.
According to ESPN, Formula 2 driver Isack Hadjar will likely be the one promoted to join VCARB.
Red Bull product Franco Colapinto, who drove in his rookie season for Williams in 2024, looked like a strong candidate to join the Red Bull junior team, but senior Red Bull officials have reportedly gone cold on that option.
Horner was diplomatic when speaking after Perez failed to finish Monday morning’s Qatar Grand Prix.
It was the sixth time this season that Pérez had not scored a point.
Horner said Pérez was “old enough and wise enough to know what the situation is”.
“I’m going to let Checo (Pérez) come to his own conclusions, nobody’s forcing him one way or another,” he said, per ESPN.
“It’s not a nice situation for him to obviously be in.”
He went on to say: “Look, Checo has had a very tough year.
“Obviously the points table are what they are. We’re very much focused on really supporting him to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi, and then obviously it’s not an enjoyable situation for Checo, being in this position with speculation every week.
“He’s old enough and wise enough to know what the situation is, and yeah, let’s see where we are after Abu Dhabi.”
When asked what he would do if Pérez wanted to stay put at Red Bull after next week’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Horner said he would wait until the end of the weekend to see where the team was placed.
It seems Perez’s failures at last month’s Las Vegas Grand Prix also lost him plenty of support — including from senior advisor Helmut Marko.
“We have to have two drivers who finish in the points,” Marko told DAZN at the time.
“Max is more than 200 points ahead of Sergio [in the driver standings]. For our employees, it is a disappointment because they will not receive their bonuses, as they depend on our position in the Constructors’ Championship.”
Marko had essentially let the cat out of the bag on Monday, already speculating about Perez’s replacement.
Marko told ViaPlay on Monday the team will make decisions next week.
“There is a meeting Monday after Abu Dhabi,” he said.
“All the major people are there, all of the shareholders, and there a decision will be done.
“We always — or most of the time — brought our own drivers through the Red Bull program and I think it’s a philosophical decision: do we stick to that? And what I got from the shareholders is it will be in this direction.”
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