Horner says Red Bull will let Perez ‘come to his own conclusions’

Perez’s place as Max Verstappen’s team mate has been questioned for months, with the Mexican having a signed contract for 2025 but his results so poor that his position looks untenable.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Sergio Perez knows the score and will come to his own conclusions about his Formula One future, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said after the Mexican fired another blank on Sunday with his time at the team seemingly close to an end.

Perez’s place as Max Verstappen’s team mate has been questioned for months, with the Mexican having a signed contract for 2025 but his results so poor that his position looks untenable.

An announcement appears likely after next weekend’s finale in Abu Dhabi.

“I’m going to let Checo (Perez) come to his own conclusions, nobody’s forcing him one way or another,” Horner told reporters after Perez retired from the Qatar Grand Prix and Red Bull’s slim hopes of defending the constructors’ title ended.

“We’re very much focused on really supporting him to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi, and then obviously it’s not an enjoyable situation for Checo, being in this position with speculation every week.

READ | Abu Dhabi GP: Esteban Ocon released by Alpine, Doohan to drive at final Grand Prix of the season

“He’s old enough and wise enough to know what the situation is, and yeah, let’s see where we are after Abu Dhabi.”

Perez is eighth in the championship and the only driver for a top four team yet to win this season.

The 34-year-old has scored 152 points from 23 races, a paltry total eclipsed by Verstappen’s 429.

While Verstappen has secured his fourth successive drivers’ title and won nine races, including Sunday’s at Lusail, Perez has not finished on the podium since he was third in China in April.

He last won a race in April 2023, winning twice that season while Verstappen triumphed a record 19 times.

Perez started the 2024 season strongly with three second places in four races but then his form crashed and he has scored only 28 points from his last 10 races.

He has not finished inside the top six since Miami in May.

“Sometimes things don’t go your way. We’re still here and optimistic that we can turn things around as a team, especially for next year,” he told reporters in Qatar last week.

“I’ve been 14 years in the sport and I don’t speak about my contracts publicly. So I will not comment on that. I know exactly where I am and I will not speak about it publicly,” he added when pressed.

If Perez is moved out, New Zealander Liam Lawson looks a likely replacement.

Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto has been tipped as a possibility also but a string of costly crashes for Williams may have made that less likely.

Red Bull also has Franco-Algerian Isack Hadjar challenging for the F2 title and could place him at RB alongside Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda if Lawson moves up.