Sergio Perez’s time at Red Bull Racing seems to be over.
According to ESPN, “Red Bull has decided to move on” after next Sunday’s Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi. Perez failed to finish Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix after saying his car lost forward drive as he tried to accelerate for a green flag.
Perez has struggled immensely this season and his poor form is the reason Red Bull is third in the constructors’ championship, despite Max Verstappen becoming world champion for the fourth time in a row at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Perez is a distant eighth in the standings – the worst performance of any driver from the top four teams – and his points total is less than 40% of Verstappen’s.
Perez, 34, has been with Red Bull since 2021 and was Verstappen’s teammate for all four of his championships. Perez won five races during his first three seasons with the team, finishing fourth, third and second in the standings.
This season he has only achieved four podium finishes and one lap lead. His finish in Qatar was the sixth time he has failed to score points in 23 races.
Perez also had problems during qualifying. After starting in the top six in each of the first six races, Perez’s qualifying form disappeared as the Red Bull car was not as fast as it had been. Perez has started outside the top 10 in 11 races so far in 2024.
His departure from Red Bull creates intrigue for the second seat next to Verstappen. The RB junior team fields cars for both Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, with Lawson replacing Daniel Ricciardo mid-season. Williams’ Franco Colapinto has shown speed and has also been mentioned as a possibility to join the Red Bull family. However, Colapinto’s cars have suffered extensive crash damage during his short time in F1 this season.
In his F1 career, in addition to Red Bull, Perez has driven for Sauber, McLaren and what is now the Aston Martin team. And a line in the ESPN report raises the possibility that Perez’s F1 career could continue. Cadillac will enter Formula 1 in 2026 and Perez is incredibly popular in his native Mexico. Despite his struggles this season, Perez would be a coup for Cadillac within two seasons and would also be a strong marketing asset.
