‘Come to his own conclusion’: Red Bull boss exposes truth behind Perez’s ‘tough’ axing

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has stated it was Sergio Perez’s own decision to walk away from Formula 1.

The long-running speculation surrounding Perez’s future came to an end on Thursday (AEDT) when Red Bull confirmed the relationship was over after four seasons.

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Despite struggling to keep pace with teammate Max Verstappen, Red Bull signed Perez to a two-year deal midway through the 2024 season.

As his form continued to dip, Perez remained adamant he would be behind the wheel of the car come the start of the 2025 season.

Horner however has now stated it was the 34-year-old’s choice to step aside and take a break from the sport.

“It’s been a culmination of things,” Horner told ESPN on Thursday.

“Checo started the season so strongly, four podiums out of five races. It felt like he’d taken off where he left off last year.

“But then really from Monte Carlo, that race onwards, it has been a very tough year for him and we’ve tried everything with him and supporting him and basically he has come to his own conclusion that I think that now is the right time to step away from Formula 1 to take a bit of time out.”

While Horner remains adamant it was the Mexican driver’s choice, sources close to Perez are refuting those claims, according to racer.com.

With Perez departing, all eyes now turn to who will line-up alongside Verstappen in the main Red Bull car.

New Zealand youngster Liam Lawson, who currently drives for Red Bull sister team Racing Bulls, is considered the favourite to replace Perez.

The 22-year-old has earned three top-10 finishes so far in his fledgling F1 career.

The decision however to potentially throw Lawson in ahead of fellow RB driver Yuki Tsunoda has caused plenty of surprise and outrage.

Tsunoda was faster than Lawson during the pre-season testing event where both drivers were given their first chances to drive the Red Bull car.

Since Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo earlier this year, Tsunoda picked up more championship points and had a superior record over Lawson in head-to-head qualifying results.

Tsunoda said after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix he would be surprised if Lawson was given the promotion.

“If they choose Liam, that’d be weird,” he said.

“Liam did a really good job when he drove in the team, but I think I did more than that.”

Red Bull have not yet announced who will be stepping into Perez’s since vacated seat with a decision from VCARB likely to come in the wake of the news.

According to ESPN, Formula 2 driver Isack Hadjar would likely be the one promoted to join VCARB if either Lawson or Tsunoda are promoted.

Red Bull product Franco Colapinto, who drove in his rookie season for Williams in 2024, looked like a strong candidate to join the Red Bull junior team, but senior Red Bull officials have reportedly gone cold on that option.