Red Bull has confirmed Sergio Perez will not return to drive for the team in the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The widely-expected news was confirmed in statements issued by Perez and Red Bull on Wednesday. Perez’s said they had “reached an agreement to part ways.”
The team is yet to confirm who will replace Perez. Liam Lawson, who has started 11 races for RB over the past two seasons, has been tipped as a potential replacement.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the past four years with Red Bull Racing and for the opportunity to race with such an amazing team,” said Perez. “Driving for Red Bull has been an unforgettable experience, and I’ll always cherish the success 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 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.’
Perez said it had been “an honour” to spend the last four seasons as Max Verstappen’s team mate.
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He joined Red Bull from Raing Point (now Aston Martin) in 2021. He played a pivotal role in Verstappen’s championship victory that year, notably in the season finale at Yas Marina.
Having scored his first grand prix victory shortly before joining Red Bull, Perez has claimed five more wins since then, the last coming at Baku last year. He and Verstappen delivered constructors’ championship titles for the team in 2022 and 2023.
However Perez’s form dropped off significantly after that last win. Although he finished second in the drivers’ championship to Verstappen last season, he claimed less than half as many points as his team mate.
Perez appeared to rediscover his form over the opening rounds of this season. He followed Verstappen home to complete one-twos for the team in the first two events and reached the podium twice more by round five.
After the Monaco Grand Prix Red Bull handed Perez a new, two-year contract. But by that point his season was already showing signs of going off the rails. He was eliminated in the first round of qualifying in Monaco then suffered a huge crash with Kevin Magnussen shortly after the start of the race.
The difficulties Red Bull experienced with their car this year seemed to affect Perez more than Verstappen. While Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship, Perez floundered, taking just a single top-six finish after the sixth round. Red Bull lost the constructors’ title to McLaren as a consequence.
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Despite having extended Perez’s contract, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner began to drop hints towards the end of the season that he might not continue to drive for them. However Perez repeatedly denied any suggestion he would not remain at Red Bull in 2025.
Horner thanked Perez for his contribution to the team’s success. “From the moment he joined in 2021 he proved himself to be an extraordinary ream player, helping us to two constructors’ titles and to our first one-two finish in the drivers’ championship,” he said.
“His five wins, all on street circuits, were also a spectacular mark of his determination to always push to the limit. While Checo will not race for the team next season, he will always be an extremely popular team member and a treasured part of our history.”
The news leaves Perez without an F1 race seat for 2026. He made his grand prix debut with Sauber in 2011 and quickly impressed, coming close to beating Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari to victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix the following year.
He secured a dream move to McLaren for 2013, but was dropped to make way for Alonso after just one season. Perez then spent a fruitful period at Force India (which later became Racing Point) where he impressed by repeatedly taking the midfield team to podium finishes.
In 2020 Perez claimed a shock win for the team in the Sakhir Grand Prix. However new owner Lawrence Stroll chose to cut Perez’s three-year deal short by two seasons to bring Sebastian Vettel in. But when Red Bull chose to drop Alexander Albon at the end of the season, Perez grabbed his chance to drive for them.
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This article will be updated.
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