Mexican Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez is rumoured to be set to announce his retirement at his next home Grand Prix.
Speculation is rife over the future of the Red Bull driver, who has struggled to compare with teammate Max Verstappen. Although Perez has signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull, rumours of his possible departure have started to grow stronger given his disappointing performances this season.
As an F1 journalist Joe Saward noted in his latest Green Notebook:
“An interesting rumour in Singapore is that Perez and Red Bull have hatched a plan that would see him announce his retirement in Mexico, which would give him a smoother exit than a layoff and would be less painful for Red Bull’s sales in the Americas.
“This would give Red Bull the opportunity to look for a new driver in 2025. Despite its expensive youth driver programmes, Red Bull does not have someone ready to step up alongside Max Verstappen. Maybe that will be the case if Lawson really shines (at Colapinto), but Red Bull already has everything it needs for the future.”
Christian Horner was talking about George Russell the other day, because he’s out of contract after the end of next year. Some still think Verstappen could go to Mercedes, but I think the price he’ll be willing to pay for his services and the baggage he brings with him might make him less attractive than he thinks.
“If it’s about money, Aston Martin have shown they will pay whatever it takes to get someone and so Max has to be considered the next likely target, although he won’t go anywhere unless he is convinced the packages available in 2026 will be better than Red Bull.
“And we don’t know. If you ask Red Bull, they seem very impressed with Oscar Piastri (as we all are) and they see chinks in Woking’s armour, because Oscar’s manager Mark Webber is close to Red Bull and is no doubt intrigued by the question of how McLaren can keep two stars happy in the years to come. It’s a legitimate question.”
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has made no secret of his frustration with Perez’s recent form. explained to the media after the Singapore Grand Prix:
“I think we need to have two drivers running at full throttle.
“Checo had a good weekend last weekend [in Baku]He had a tough weekend this weekend.
“We need to string together a few weekends where we can see where McLaren puts two drivers on the podium. It’s those big points that really make the difference.
“So we have to make sure that Checo goes as far as possible off the pitch, to find the right direction.”
Horner also commented in a separate interview during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, as quoted by Formula1.com:
“We have given a great opportunity to many young people over time.
“The Red Bull system demands results and performances. Of course, Max is up to the task. Checo [Sergio Perez] fell short of his expectations this year. Last year he did a good job, or at least a good enough job to finish second [drivers’] championship and [for Red Bull to] be the champions of the builders.
“We have to look further. We have some great talents. We have Liam Lawson on the bench. We are not quite sure, given the players like [Franco] Colapinto and [Ollie] Bearman and [Kimi] Antonelli, is he at this level? Only time will tell.
“We have Isack Hadjar in F2, who until recently was leading the championship. We have a very promising young talent, who I am particularly excited about, in F3, Arvid Lindblad. So we have depth in our junior programme, and that is why there is a natural moment.
“We have a gap now, but we just want to take some time to think about, ‘What do those options look like for the future?’
“We’re not afraid to come out of the reserves. George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year. It would be stupid not to take that into account. There are other drivers, talented drivers, who will also be out of contract.”
As the Mexican Grand Prix approaches, all eyes will be on Sergio Perez and the Red Bull Racing team.
