Sergio Perez leaves Red Bull with immediate effect

By Balazs Szabo on 18 Dec 2024, 18:00

Red Bull has announced that Sergio Perez will leave the team with immediate effect as the Milton Keynes-based outfit and the Mexican driver have reached an agreement to part ways with immediate effect.

After months of speculation, Red Bull have now confirmed that Sergio Perez will leave the Austro-British outfit despite the deal that would have seen the 34-year-old driver race for the team until the end of 2026.

The Guadalajara-born driver joined Red Bull in 2021, and helped his team-mate Max Verstappen win his first championship title that year, playing a pivotal role at the title-deciding 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

However, he has failed to deliver a consistent performance over the last couple of years. Perez has won five races with Red Bull, and finished second in the Drivers’ Championship last year, but he has endured periods during which he simply struggled for outright pace in qualifying.

After a strong start to the the 2024 season, Red Bull elected to extend his contract by a further two years which would see Perez race for the Milton Keynes-based outfit until at least the end of the 2026 F1 season. However, the Mexican struggled for pace after his contract extension.

Reflecting on the decision, the Mexican driver added: “Driving for Red Bull has been an unforgettable experience and I’ll always cherish the successes we achieved together. We broke records, reached remarkable milestones, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible people along the way.

“A big thank you to every person in the team from the management, engineers and mechanics, catering, hospitality, kitchen, marketing and communications, as well as everyone at Milton Keynes, I wish you all the best for the future.

“It has also been an honour to race alongside Max as a team mate all these years and to share in our success. A special thank you to the fans around the world, and especially to the Mexican fans for your unwavering support every day. We’ll meet again soon. And remember… never give up.”