Sergio Perez: Red Bull is parting ways with the Mexican Formula 1 driver, the contract runs for another two years

Red Bull’s decision to drop Perez raises questions about the decision-making of team boss Christian Horner, who made the decision in May to sign him until the end of 2026.

The move came at the start of a slump in form for Perez – which mirrored a similar decline in 2023 – and Horner said the intention had been to allow him to regain his confidence.

But Perez’s performances did not improve. His final podium finish came in the fifth race of the season in China and after finishing fourth in the following race in Miami, his best result was sixth place in the Netherlands.

His only highlight for the rest of the season was a strong performance in Azerbaijan, where he was on his way to a podium finish before crashing out late with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Perez’s inability to match Verstappen’s performance was a major factor in Red Bull losing the constructors’ championship.

Despite Verstappen’s nine wins, they finished third behind McLaren and Ferrari. McLaren took six wins between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Ferrari five with Charles Leclerc and Sainz.

Horner re-signed Perez – and extended him by two years, something that seemed inexplicable to many in Formula 1 – rather than take over from Sainz, who will be replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton next season.

The basis for the decision was the tensions that existed between the Verstappen and Sainz camps when the drivers were paired on Red Bull’s junior team in 2015 and early 2016.

But Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen said he had never expressed a preference for Sainz not to return to Red Bull.

Perez took five wins for Red Bull, one in 2021 and two each in 2022 and 2023, but was only able to get close to Verstappen in the first four races of 2023.

However, he was instrumental in Verstappen winning his first world title in 2021.

His aggressive defense against Hamilton in the season finale in Abu Dhabi allowed Verstappen to get back close to the seven-time champion mid-race.

This meant that at the start of the crucial late safety car period, Hamilton did not have enough clearance to pit for new tires while maintaining the race lead, which he probably could have retained had Perez wouldn’t have blocked him for so long.

That meant he was vulnerable to Verstappen, who stopped for fresh tires.

Race director Michael Masi started the race for a final lap after flouting the rules for a safety car period in two different ways, and Verstappen was able to pass Hamilton on fresh tires, ensuring that he and not the Mercedes driver won the championship.