In the days after the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi, Sergio Perez’s Red Bull exit seemed ever so imminent. It was his worst year with the Milton-Keynes-bases outfit, and his poor performances almost single-handedly lost them the Constructors’ title, which made the official announcement not so surprising.
Judging the results, this decision looked like it was made by the Red Bull hierarchy, with Team Principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko suggesting the need for change in the weeks leading up to Abu Dhabi. However, Marko’s recent comments hinted that it was more of a mutual agreement.
“He [Perez] always hoped to find his way back to his old form, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” the 81-year-old told Sky Sports Germany. “And then he saw that a resurrection was not possible for him in this environment and that a separation was best,” he added.
: Red Bull and Sergio Perez have agreed to part ways ahead of the 2025 season #F1
— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) December 18, 2024
When Perez joined Red Bull in 2021, he was seen as an integral cog in its machine. Max Verstappen, who won his fourth World Championship this year, was always going to be number one in the pecking order, but Red Bull wanted a solid number two option, which it seemed like they had found in Perez.
With time, however, his form deteriorated. In the second half of 2023, the Mexican comprehensively struggled and in 2024, it all went haywire. Perez finished eighth in the standings, and although Marko revealed that he tried to get back to his 2021 form again, it proved impossible.
Perez might still make an F1 comeback after Red Bull’s exit
Red Bull announced Liam Lawson as Perez’s successor for 2025, promoting Isack Hadjar from F2 to take the New Zealander’s place at RB.
This meant that Perez was officially sidelined for the upcoming campaign, making it the first he would miss since 2010, the year before his F1 debut. Focusing on the positives, however, spending time away from F1 could give Perez introspection and a revival, as a comeback could be on the cards for 2026.
Cadillac-General Motors will field F1’s 11th team that year, and Perez is regarded as a strong contender to lead that project. Perez does bring that experience with him, and could help the outfit find its feet in the sport in its initial years.
