Sergio Perez isn’t going anywhere.
Red Bull announced on Tuesday that Perez has signed a two-year contract extension until the 2026 Formula 1 season. Perez would be a free agent at the end of the season.
“This is an important moment to confirm our 2025 line-up and we are very happy to continue working with Checo,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said in a statement. “Continuity and stability are important for the team and for both Checo and Max [Verstappen] are a successful and robust partnership, securing our first ever one-two for the team in the Championship last year. Checo has had a strong start to 2024 with second places in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan and then his podium in China. The last few races have been tough, there is convergence on the grid, but we have confidence in Checo and look forward to his return to the proven form and performance we see so often.”
Perez was involved in an opening lap crash in Monaco after starting 16th following an elimination in the first qualifying round. He finished eighth in the previous race at Imola after starting eleventh.
Perez’s future at Red Bull has been bleak since Max Verstappen became the most dominant driver in the series. Because Verstappen has won 49 of 74 races and three championships since the start of 2022, Perez has only managed four victories in that period.
A season ago, Perez finished second in the standings with two wins thanks to Red Bull’s dominant car. Despite being on the fastest team in the series, Perez had serious problems during qualifying. Perez’s average starting position was 9.3 and ranked 10th out of twenty drivers.
The car’s speed ultimately won out over the course of a race. Because Verstappen finished with an absurd average of 1.3, Perez finished second in the series with 5.9.
Perez’s contract extension is likely to keep Red Bull’s driver line-up intact for the next two seasons. Verstappen is locked into a long-term contract with the team and rumors of an attempt by Mercedes to lure Verstappen to replace Lewis Hamilton appear to have disappeared. Red Bull’s chief designer Adrian Newey announced he will leave the team this season in the wake of the Horner controversy at the start of the season.
With Perez remaining at Red Bull, Carlos Sainz’s free-agent options for the 2025 season continue to dwindle. The Ferrari driver is replaced by Hamilton. Sauber – soon to become the Audi factory team in 2026 – and Williams have been mentioned as possible destinations for him. Mercedes may be a long-term option, although the team could promote 17-year-old junior driver Kimi Antonelli to replace Hamilton next season.
