Sergio Perez leaving Red Bull seat for 2025 Formula 1 season as Mexican driver exits team | F1 News

Sergio Perez will not race for Pink Bull after they agreed to half methods.

No substitute for the Mexican driver subsequent to world champion Max Verstappen for the 2025 season has but been introduced, though Sky Sports activities has understood for a number of weeks that Liam Lawson will land the drive in a promotion from junior workforce RB.

In an unique interview with Sky Sports activities Information reflecting on Perez’s departure, Pink Bull workforce principal Christian Horner mentioned a choice had but to be made between Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda as to who would substitute the Mexican.

“Basically it is going to be a selection between Yuki and Liam,” mentioned Horner.

Pink Bull mentioned they might announce Verstappen’s subsequent team-mate sooner or later.

Perez joined Pink Bull in 2021 and claimed 5 of his six profession grands prix victories on the workforce however endured a hugely-troubled 2024 marketing campaign.

Regardless of being awarded a brand new two-year contract in June after a promising begin to the season, he final stood on the rostrum on the Chinese language Grand Prix in April in a yr Verstappen received his fourth consecutive world title.

Perez completed the season by scoring simply 9 factors throughout the ultimate eight grands prix weekends, outcomes which closely contributed to Pink Bull failing to retain the Constructors’ Championship and ending third behind McLaren and Ferrari.

An end-of-year exit from the workforce had subsequently appeared more and more possible for months for a driver who will now undoubtedly be absent from the F1 grid for the primary time since his 2011 debut subsequent yr with all of the non-Pink Bull seats taken.

Perez speaks about exit as Horner pays tribute

In an announcement asserting his departure on Wednesday, Perez mentioned: “I am extremely grateful for the previous 4 years with Oracle Pink Bull Racing and for the chance to race with such an incredible workforce.

“Driving for Pink Bull has been an unforgettable expertise and I will at all times cherish the successes we achieved collectively. We broke information, reached exceptional milestones, and I’ve had the privilege of assembly so many unbelievable individuals alongside the best way.

“An enormous thanks to each individual within the workforce from the administration, engineers and mechanics, catering, hospitality, kitchen, advertising and communications, in addition to everybody at Milton Keynes, I want you all the very best for the longer term.

“It has additionally been an honour to race alongside Max as a team-mate all these years and to share in our success. A particular thanks to the followers all over the world, and particularly to the Mexican followers to your unwavering help each day. We’ll meet once more quickly. And keep in mind…By no means surrender.”

Amid the expectation that the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix earlier this month can be Perez’s swansong for the workforce after 4 seasons, Pink Bull administration held discussions with the 34-year-old about his future final week as they seemed to return to an settlement on what occurred subsequent.

Chatting with Sky Sports activities Information, Pink Bull boss Horner mentioned: “He is been a implausible member of this workforce. It has been a troublesome yr for him however he is an excellent individual and naturally performed such a key function within the 2021 Drivers’ Championship, 2022 and 2023 Constructors’ titles.

“He was second within the Drivers’ Championship final yr, he is received 5 grands prix in our automobiles.

“However he mirrored after the season and we sat down and mentioned it final week concerning the subsequent steps, and he is determined he’ll take a little bit of day out, take a sabbatical from System 1 basically.

“So we’re unhappy to see him depart the workforce however clearly it is time for him to spend together with his younger household as nicely, and what he desires to do sooner or later.”

Perez had recovered from a sustained droop in type, notably in qualifying, mid-way by means of 2023 to start out this yr with 4 podiums within the opening 5 races earlier than his tempo tailed off once more throughout a interval when Pink Bull’s rivals eroded the workforce’s earlier benefit, in a lack of type he by no means recovered from.

Requested what went flawed for the skilled driver, Horner mentioned: “I feel that is the factor, he is probably not fairly positive. After all, the automotive grew to become extra slender in its efficiency window, and he struggled with that in comparison with Max.

“However clearly such an unlimited gulf in factors distinction between the 2 drivers. He was battling that, and that after all then places extra stress on him.

“After which the more durable you attempt, generally the slower you go. And it grew to become nearly like a vicious circle for him. There have been flashes of outdated type in Azerbaijan however sadly that did not translate into factors. It has been a vastly irritating marketing campaign for him and naturally that is harm us fairly badly within the Constructors’ Championship.”

‘A selection between Yuki and Liam’

Horner mentioned both Lawson or Tsunoda, who drive for Pink Bull’s sister workforce RB, would now be referred to as as much as the principle outfit for 2025 with Sky Sports activities understanding that it’s going to finally be the 22-year-old New Zealander who will get the nod.

“We now have all the knowledge that we want,” mentioned Horner of the choice.

“Basically it is going to be a selection between Yuki and Liam. Each have gotten sturdy credentials.

“We examined Yuki not too long ago on the tyre check in Abu Dhabi for an opportunity for him to work with the engineering workforce. Liam has carried out lots of testing with us behind the scenes this yr as nicely and has pushed very nicely within the six or seven races that he is had.

“So, we’ve all the knowledge. We’re simply and contemplating all of that, talking with the engineering workforce as nicely, and we’ll come to a conclusion within the coming days.”

Horner added: “An important factor for us subsequent yr, in what will probably be arguably the tightest season in F1 for a lot of, a few years, is to make it possible for we’ve two drivers which can be performing as carefully as potential towards… we’ll have a Hamilton-Leclerc line-up [at Ferrari] subsequent yr.

“We have already seen Norris-Piastri [at McLaren], what that’s able to. And naturally George Russell with one other newcomer in Antonelli [at Mercedes]. It should be very tight subsequent yr and so the choices that we make can have that in thoughts. What’s the finest line-up that we are able to subject at Pink Bull Racing?”

If Lawson is, as anticipated, is promoted to the principle Pink Bull workforce, then 20-year-old Pink Bull junior Isack Hadjar – who completed runner-up on this yr’s F2 championship – is about to accomplice Tsunoda at RB.

How time ran out for Perez at Pink Bull amid sustained wrestle

For a driver who for many of his 14-year profession has been considered one of many grid’s most constant and dependable factors scorers, Perez’s struggles for constant type over the previous two seasons in one of many grid’s quickest automobiles has proved puzzling and, for each driver and workforce, vastly irritating.

Perez joined Pink Bull for the 2021 season after the workforce went towards their tried-and-trusted coverage of solely recruiting drivers from their very own young-driver pool after two years during which the preliminary replacements for Daniel Ricciardo – first Pierre Gasly after which Alex Albon – struggled for type and confidence subsequent to an ever-improving Verstappen.

That call to go for expertise was justified in that first season as Perez received in Azerbaijan, after Verstappen had retired with tyre failure, and scored common top-six finishes, though arguably his most essential contribution got here within the controversial conclusion to the marketing campaign in Abu Dhabi when he held up chief Lewis Hamilton halfway in a race which finally noticed Verstappen win his maiden title on the final lap.

Perez’s delay of Hamilton earlier on noticed the Mexican earn the nickname from the workforce of the ‘Minister of Defence’.

With Pink Bull acing the brand new laws from the beginning of 2022 and Verstappen quickly beginning to dominate, Perez received two races that yr, impressively on the streets of Monaco and Singapore, though misplaced out on second within the Drivers’ Championship to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

A very sturdy begin to 2023 noticed him share two wins apiece with Verstappen however his type, notably in qualifying, quickly began to dramatically tail off regardless of his team-mate completely dominating the season.

A torrid run of type led to rising hypothesis he may even get replaced for 2024, however a late rally within the marketing campaign noticed Perez safe second within the championship to runaway champion Verstappen.

Perez appeared to have turned the nook in the beginning of 2024 with 4 podium finishes within the opening 5 rounds, however the turnaround solely proved short-term regardless of a shock two-year renewal to 2026 with the vast majority of the 24-race season as an alternative proving depressing, with the Mexican’s poor type compounded by the actual fact Pink Bull discovered themselves usurped for tempo on the entrance of the sphere.

Having determined towards making a change to their line-up at this August’s mid-season summer season break, Pink Bull chiefs had hoped Perez’s type would finally decide up, however September’s Azerbaijan GP apart, when he challenged on the entrance earlier than finally retiring in a last-lap collision with Carlos Sainz, his type has continued to underwhelm amid a wrestle for factors and talks about an exit had been held final week with senior administration.

Perez himself final month described his 2024 season as having been “horrible”.

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