Sergio Perez has had plenty of time to get out of his slump and improve his results. He even had the backing of the Red Bull bosses who offered him a contract extension midway into the season. However, the Mexican driver has not repaid the faith shown in him, and Red Bull are now contemplating a future without Perez.
Recent reports also suggest that they have a replacement in mind—and no, it’s not Liam Lawson. Lawson was long tipped to be Perez’s Red Bull successor, but LatinUS claimed that Franco Colapinto is the new favorite.
The Argentine rookie, who made his F1 debut two months ago by replacing an underperforming Logan Sargeant, has caught the attention of the F1 community with his impressive driving skills. In five races, he has already scored four points.
While it may not seem like a lot on paper, the fact that he’s been racing for Williams—a backmarker team—makes his achievement all the more impressive. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s chief advisor, also took notice of this, and the Milton Keynes-based outfit have reportedly agreed to pay as much as $20 million to have Colapinto in 2025.
“I understand that the idea is to go for everything. He will just go next to Max,” Dutch journalist Jack Plooij revealed. According to the source, Red Bull could make Colapinto’s appointment official after the 2024 Sao Paolo GP, which takes place this weekend.
Colapinto has an F1 seat after all?
After his 12th place finish in Mexico City, Colapinto revealed that he did not have a contract with Williams, or any other team for 2025. He insisted that he would be racing elsewhere and not in F1.
Really think Red Bull should replace Perez with Colapinto.
I know it’ll never happen and that it would discourage the RB academy drivers but this guy has shown enough to get a seat next year. https://t.co/EOt0LtlKEE
— Reagan (@ManUtdBanterEra) October 29, 2024
But if the Red Bull bosses decide to rope the talented 21-year-old in, his fortunes would change completely. Just a few months ago, he was an F2 driver who was effectively out of reach to win the Championship. Now, he is being lined up to replace Perez and partner up with Max Verstappen, one of the best drivers in the world.
Perez, on the other hand, remained confident that he would retain his seat for 2025. He started the Mexico City GP from P18 and made up just one place—still last among the runners.
Yet, his confidence remained undeterred. Maybe Perez knows something the F1 community doesn’t, but based on his recent results, the 34-year-old’s Red Bull days surely look numbered.
