Horner shuts down Perez question as Red Bull exit looms

Christian Horner has pushed out explaining how Red Bull will handle the Sergio Perez situation if the driver does not step aside following the F1 season finale.

It is looking increasingly likely that the trip to the Yas Marina Circuit will be the 34-year-old’s last as a full-time Red Bull driver.

However, with the Mexican driver contracted for 2025, how an amicable exit may be reached remains unclear – if that is the path the team decides to go down.

Perez has endured a torrid campaign alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Whilst the latter has secured nine victories en route to a fourth-consecutive F1 drivers’ championship, the former has gone winless.

He sits in eighth in the standings and is the only driver from a top four team not to grace the top step of the podium. The other seven have all managed to do so on multiple occasions.

In a cruel coincidence, Perez is the lowest ranking team-mate of an F1 drivers’ champion since 1994, when his own team-mate’s father, Jos, finished 10th for Benetton whilst Michael Schumacher secured his first of seven titles.

Horner waving away the question sits against the backdrop of him stating he would let the six-time grand prix winner “come to his own conclusions” over the situation at the Milton Keynes-based team.

At the same point, the Red Bull team principal also said: “Nobody is forcing him one way or another. It’s not a nice situation for him to be in.”

the 50-year-old added that Perez is “old enough and wise enough to know what the situation is. Let’s see where we are after Abu Dhabi.”

When pressed on what happens if Perez decides he wants to stay and see out his contract for next season, Horner reiterated his post-season finale stance to avoid answering the question: “Let’s get to the end of Abu Dhabi, and then we’ll see where we’re at.”