Red Bull F1 faces difficult decisions as Sergio Pérez finally declares his impending departure

When Sergio Pérez brought his automobile to a halt after being hit by Valtteri Bottas, he will need to have known it might likely be his last act as a Red Bull Formula 1 driver.

At the tip of a disappointing – in his own words, “terrible” – 12 months, Pérez didn't even have the possibility to finish a single lap on the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Bottas' hit, for which the Sauber driver was penalized, caused Pérez's RB20 to lose power and are available to a halt.

It denied Pérez the chance to say goodbye to F1 2024 on a positive note. But after his retirement he admitted for the primary time that he may not drive for Red Bull in 2025.

“We are talking about what is best for the future and we will see what happens in the coming days,” Pérez said. He added that he and the team would “discuss the situation for both parties and see if we can reach an agreement.”

On the method to Abu Dhabi it became clear that Pérez's time at Red Bull was running out. The team had lost the constructors' championship and finished the season third behind McLaren and Ferrari – and with it the prize money that got here with it. It is barely the third time since 2000 that drivers' champion Verstappen isn’t driving for the constructors' champion.

At the tip of a 12 months of speculation about Pérez's future, it seems that Red Bull has finally decided that enough is enough and that a change is required for 2025.

Until Sunday, Pérez had defiantly insisted he could be at Red Bull next 12 months, despite his subpar performance this season. He scored barely a 3rd of Max Verstappen's total points and hasn't made it onto the rostrum for the reason that fifth round in China. As he kept saying, he signed a contract extension in June.

Pérez remained committed to his contract until 2025 until media day on Thursday. After qualifying on Saturday, he still didn't think that Sunday could be his last race with Red Bull, saying there was “nothing new I could add to what I said before”.

Pérez's change of mood on Sunday was also reflected in Red Bull's post-race press release. In it, the team quoted Pérez as saying: “We will see what happens in the coming days, I don't know what will happen at the moment, I have a contract and the team and I have spoken.” It's about it discuss what’s best for everybody in the longer term.”

In Abu Dhabi, talks began between Pérez's camp and Red Bull about figuring out the agreement Pérez was referring to, essentially an agreement for him to offer up racing next 12 months. Given Pérez's contribution to Red Bull's recent success in Formula 1, some form of ambassadorial role is actually on the cards.

After the race, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said the team wanted to sit down down with Pérez and “consider what the right and appropriate path forward is.” He highlighted Pérez's efforts for the team, particularly the 2 constructors' titles and his support for Max Verstappen on the 2021 finale in Abu Dhabi. Despite the difficulties of 2024, there continues to be great respect for the driving force at Red Bull.

“As he sits here now, he’s still our driver,” Horner said. “So it would be wrong for me to speculate about what next year might look like until he and I sit down and discuss this year and we think about it as a team.”

But Horner also said the drop to 3rd within the championship showed why it was crucial for 2 drivers to attain consistently, especially ahead of one other competitive season in 2025. “Ferrari will be strong with its line-up next year,” said he. “McLaren has a strong lineup. Mercedes will have an inexperienced driver in one of its seats. That’s why it’s very important for us that both drivers perform well and that there is no significant gap.”

Once an agreement is reached on Pérez's likely exit, Red Bull's next task can be to choose who will start alongside Verstappen. Horner said the four-time champion was the “most difficult teammate in the world to have”.

All signs in Abu Dhabi pointed to Liam Lawson getting the nod from RB to change into a Red Bull Racing driver in 2025. The New Zealander made a late exit in Abu Dhabi after a previously loose wheel cost him the possibility to fight for points, and he now has 11 F1 races to his name. However, he was all the time held in high regard throughout the Red Bull team, especially with advisor Helmut Marko. Red Bull have also supported such inexperience prior to now, promoting Alex Albon to change into Verstappen's teammate after just twelve races in 2019. The 22-year-old Lawson has only one loss and 6 points.

Lawson's promotion could be a blow to Yuki Tsunoda, who qualified ahead in all six races they spent as teammates this 12 months. The 24-year-old Tsunoda has been driving for RB since 2021 and has made decent progress yearly, but Red Bull still seems to have doubts about promoting him to the senior team.

“I think Liam did a very good job in difficult circumstances,” said Horner after the race in Abu Dhabi. “If you analyze what he did in the time he had and the race pace he had, I think he did a good job.

“I think Yuki did a good job. If something were to be decided with Checo, they would be the candidates we would look forward to.”

If Red Bull names Lawson as Verstappen's teammate for 2025, it might unlock a spot alongside Tsunoda at RB, which is prone to be filled by Isack Hadjar. 20-year-old Hadjar finished second on this 12 months's F2 standings and took part in two F1 training sessions for Red Bull in 2024. In Qatar, he hinted that he already knew his plans for 2025, having emerged as a number one teenager in Red Bull's youth program waiting to maneuver as much as Formula 1.

Pérez's struggles leading as much as 2024 have been difficult to look at. He began strong and achieved 4 podiums in the primary five races. At Suzuka, a real “drivers’ track” where Verstappen’s natural talent involves the fore, he was only a tenth off pole. As his form began to say no, Red Bull believed the brand new contract would give him the support and boost he needed. Horner admitted Friday that it just “didn’t work.”

These efforts to support Pérez have left the team in its current position, attempting to work out acceptable terms for his exit and ending a four-season rollercoaster ride. Horner said there was “no immediate rush” to sort things out, but a fast resolution will surely profit all parties.

It would give Red Bull the possibility to show things around and focus entirely on 2025 – and Lawson, assuming he gets the seat, the utmost time possible to organize for probably the most demanding task in all of racing: being Verstappen's teammate. It's a task that Pérez warned Thursday that knowing how the wind blows would perhaps be a serious challenge for any young rider.

“Since I was a teammate of Max at Red Bull as a young driver, if I’m honest I don’t want to be in this situation,” said Pérez.

“People can’t underestimate the challenge this seat presents.”