Sergio Perez’s days at Red Bull are numbered. For 2025, the multiple Grand Prix winner will be without a cockpit in Formula 1. As often as his teammate Max Verstappen has beaten him, the ex-Formula 1 driver advises the Mexican to draw a line under his belt and dare to start anew.
Statistics that prove how badly Sergio Perez was defeated in the team’s internal comparison with Max Verstappen are a dime a dozen. In a team comparison, no driver in Formula 1 has been as bad as Perez in 30 years and in 2024 he finished behind Verstappen in every race (with the exception of the Dutchman’s technical retirement in Melbourne).
Unsurprisingly, Red Bull pulled the ripcord despite the existing contract – it was Perez’s fourth season at Red Bull and his form curve was going steadily downwards rather than upwards. No question: 2024, which started solidly with a few podium places, was clearly the weakest season for the Mexican alongside world champion Verstappen.
Formula 1: Verstappen “mentally destroyed” Perez
“Mentally, Max destroyed him and his self-confidence completely collapsed,” said ex-Formula 1 driver and “Sky” expert Johnny Herbert to “GPFans”. “Sergio knows that his performances were very bad and it’s not his first season,” the Brit summed up the situation surrounding Perez.
“In my opinion, he was better at the beginning of his time at Red Bull than he is now. But he never managed to really put Max under pressure,” said Herbert. “He got off to a pretty good start at the beginning of 2023, but that too has evaporated.”
At that time, Perez won three of the first five races (including sprints) and was even just ahead of Verstappen in the World Championship, who then crossed the finish line first in 21 of 23 starts.
Herbert advises Perez to put his time at Red Bull behind him: “It’s sad, but when you’re in a situation like that, it’s better to go out and make a fresh start somewhere else. That way you can regain some of the self-confidence that you’ve obviously lost has gone.”
There will definitely be no free cockpit for Perez in 2025 after the last available seat at the Racing Bulls goes to Isack Hadjar. For the time being, the Formula 1 chapter is over for Sergio Perez.