Sergio Perez’s Red Bull Racing Departure: The Moment It Became Clear

After joining Red Bull Racing in 2021, following previous tenures with Sauber, McLaren, and Racing Point, Mexican driver Sergio Perez found it challenging to match the performance of his teammate Max Verstappen in the Red Bull cars during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Despite a disappointing run in 2023, he managed to secure his contract for 2024. However, as the team watched the Constructors’ Championship slip away from them in 2022 with and Ferrari overtaking, doubts about Perez’s future with the team began to surface.

The Moment of Clarity: Qatar Race

Speaking with Formula1.com, Perez revealed that it was only during the Qatar race at the end of November, early December, that it became clear to him that his seat was in jeopardy. He explained: “Everything happened really late in the season. I wasn’t really expecting it to happen. It only became clearer once we were in Qatar, and we started to discuss and negotiate my exit from the team. It all happened very quickly.

At the time of his departure, team principal Christian Horner stated: “Yes, absolutely. Checo has been a fantastic member of this team. It’s been a tough year for him, but he’s a great person and played such a key role in the 2021 drivers’ championship, 2022, and 2023 constructors’. He was second in the drivers’ world championship last year, he’s won five Grands Prix in our cars. But he reflected after the season and we sat down and discussed it last week about what are the next steps, and he’s decided that he’s going to take a bit of time out. We’re sad to see him leave the team, but obviously, it’s time for him to spend with his young family as well and reflect on what he wants to do for the future.

Red Bull decided to replace Perez before his contract expired, which had been extended through 2025. The Milton Keynes outfit evaluated rookie Liam Lawson and Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda over the last few races of the season and ultimately opted for the former to take the coveted spot alongside Verstappen. However, now, the team has replaced Lawson after just two Grands Prix of his rookie season and swapped him with Tsunoda ahead of the latter’s home race at the Suzuka circuit.