Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull will be discussed today in a pivotal meeting that will help determine the team’s Formula 1 line-up for the 2025 season. However, while the meeting is expected to set the direction for both of Red Bull’s F1 squads, an official announcement about Perez’s status is unlikely to come immediately.
The decision could be delayed until after the Abu Dhabi test on Tuesday, which will see Yuki Tsunoda drive a Red Bull car for the first time. Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko explained that the team intends to evaluate all the facts before making a final call:
“All the facts will be discussed, and I guess a decision will be made. When it will be announced? I don’t think it will be Monday. And of course, we will wait for the result [of the test] before we make an announcement of the decision.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also emphasized the importance of reflecting on the season before making any decisions:
“Obviously those discussions will happen between Checo and the team. Now we have got the season out of the way, we’ll sit down with him and reflect on the season — and obviously where it’s gone wrong — and collectively work out what is the right and the appropriate way forward. He’s done an awful lot for this team, so we’ll sit down and reflect on this season and how we move forward.”
Perez, who joined Red Bull in 2021, has faced difficulties this season, contributing to the team finishing third in the constructors’ standings behind Ferrari and McLaren. While Max Verstappen dominated the drivers’ championship with 437 points, Perez only managed 152 points and finished eighth in the standings. The performance gap between the two drivers impacted Red Bull’s overall result, leaving the team in third place with 589 points, far behind Ferrari’s 652 and McLaren’s 666.
Horner admitted that the points deficit was disappointing, stressing that the team would need both drivers to consistently score points in 2025 to compete with its rivals.
“I think you can see the importance of having two drivers scoring on a regular basis in the constructors’ championship. It is crucial. Ferrari will be strong with their line-up next year. McLaren have a strong line-up. Mercedes will have an inexperienced driver in one of their seats. So for our team, it’s very important that both of our drivers are delivering, and there’s not a significant gap.”
When asked if there was still a possibility that Perez could remain at Red Bull in 2025, Horner was cautious:
“He’s still our driver. So it would be wrong for me to speculate on what next year may look like, until he and I have sat down and discussed this year, and we reflect on it as a team.”
The outcome of today’s discussions will be critical for Perez’s future, with the team keen to assess all options before finalizing their line-up for next season.
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