Formula 1 driver Sergio Pérez says he is leaving Red Bull, clearing a coveted seat

Formula 1 driver Sergio Pérez is officially leaving Red Bull Racing after four years. The Mexican driver announced alongside the team on Wednesday that they have agreed to part ways before the end of the contract.

The decision opens up a coveted spot as teammate of reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

In a statement intended to convey a friendly farewell, the 35-year-old Pérez thanked the team and wished them “all the best for the future.”

“I am incredibly grateful for the last four years at Oracle Red Bull Racing and for the opportunity to race with such a great team. Driving for Red Bull was an unforgettable experience and I will always cherish the successes we achieved together,” he said. “A special thank you to the fans around the world and especially to the Mexican fans for your unwavering support every day. We’ll see each other again soon. And remember: never give up.”

Pérez’s departure comes after a poor season in which he failed to win for the first time in his four years at Red Bull. He found it difficult to get on board with the evolving car and finished a poor eighth in the championship, while his teammate Verstappen finished first. Rumors of an early exit – despite a contract for next year – have been circulating for months.

Pérez is out of a race seat next season and the move could mean the end of his Formula 1 career, which began in 2011.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner thanked “Checo” – his nickname – “for everything he has done for Oracle Red Bull Racing over the last four seasons” and highlighted the team’s “first one-two in the drivers’ championship” last year .

“His five victories, all on street circuits, were also a spectacular sign of his determination to always push himself to the limit. Even though Checo will not be competing for the team next season, he will always be an extremely popular team member and a valued part of our history,” Horner said.

Pérez’s highlights with the team include a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle in 2021 with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the final race of the season, which Verstappen said later helped him win that year’s world championship; as well as race track victories on the streets of Monaco, Baku and Saudi Arabia.

Red Bull did not announce who will replace him, saying only: “Further announcements regarding the team’s full 2025 lineup will be made in due course.”

Horner recently pointed out to F1 reporters that the two candidates to replace Pérez would be Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda, who currently drive for the Red Bull junior team called RB, which is known for providing drivers for the senior team to recruit.

Lawson told NBC News last month that he would jump at the opportunity to drive for Red Bull alongside Verstappen.

“I have no idea if that’s possible or not, but of course that’s my goal – to be in Formula 1 full time, and of course I’m also here to try to win a world championship and is the best place to do that at Red Bull,” Lawson said, adding that there was “no time frame” for such a decision.

He said his goal was simply to “secure a seat next year, wherever that may be, and in the future of course the goal is to go to Red Bull.”