Sergio Pérez Announces Changes Ahead of 2025 Season
Following Sergio Pérez’s most unsuccessful season with Red Bull Racing, the Mexican driver is parting ways with the team. Although Pérez signed a two-year contract renewal in June of this year, a meeting was held earlier this month to discuss Pérez’s future following his worst season with Red Bull, with the team announcing their decision to drop the driver today. Pérez placed eighth this season, with only four poles and 152 total points, costing Red Bull’s chances of winning the Constructors Championship. With no other seats open for the 2025 season, Pérez’s Formula One career has been placed on hold.
Since 2021, Sergio Pérez has raced alongside now four-time World Champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing. The duo won two Constructors Championships in 2022 and 2023 and were set to be a force to be reckoned with for the 2024 season. However, fans saw a steady decline in Pérez’s racing, and the driver could not snag a win. With his last pole being in April during the Chinese Grand Prix, five DNFs, and disappointing crashes, the Mexican driver could not find his pace alongside the rest of the grid.
Although Pérez fell flat this season, Red Bull parting ways with him still shocked all Formula One fans, seeing as he’s been a top driver his other three seasons with Red Bull. As the most successful Mexican driver to race in Formula One, Pérez brought in five wins and 932 points across his four seasons with the team. With nicknames such as “The Mexican Minister of Defense” for his defending skills to keep Verstappen in first and “The King of the Streets” for his success in street circuit races, Pérez was the perfect second driver throughout the years. With endless fans cheering him on and sponsors supporting him, Pérez brought more than points to the team; he also brought in more money. With his departure, sponsors, including Telmex, have already dropped the Austrian team, claiming they’ll follow Pérez to any team he races for.
Red Bull is currently working to replace Pérez with Liam Lawson, who drives for the sister team Visa Cash App RB, the top contender to drive alongside Verstappen. Although young, Lawson proved himself as a strong driver when he recently joined the grid to replace Daniel Ricciardo. Other contenders include VCARB driver Yuki Tsunoda, who placed 12th this season, and ex-Kick Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas, who failed to steal a seat for the 2025 season. Although it hurts to see the end of Sergio Pérez’s Red Bull Racing career come so abruptly, he can only wait to see where the wind takes him for the 2026 season when contracts end and more seats open up.
