Red Bull boss Christian Horner has suggested that it was Sergio Perez‘s decision to vacate his seat with the team for 2025 to embark on a sabbatical from Formula 1.
Perez had insisted up until the final round in Abu Dhabi that he would retain his drive with Red Bull into next season, having signed a contract renewal earlier this term.
However, Perez admitted post-race at the Yas Marina Circuit that talks over the succeeding week would be decisive amid mounting reports that he would be replaced.
Red Bull has since announced that Perez, who wound up a considerable 285 points behind team-mate Max Verstappen, will not be racing with the team again in 2025.
Horner had implied over the closing events that Red Bull was hoping that Perez would depart on his own accord, and he has claimed that is how the split materialised.
“It’s been a culmination of things,” Horner told ESPN.
“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.
“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.”
Red Bull reached Perez conclusion over meeting
Horner doubled down on that declaration, as he paid credit to the achievements that the Mexican accomplished during his four-season stint with Red Bull since 2021.
“It’s been a tough year for him,” Horner admitted to Sky Sports.
“But he’s a great person, and of course, played such a key role in the ’21 Drivers’ Championship, ’22 and ’23 Constructors’.
“He was second in the Drivers’ World Championship last year. He’s won five Grands Prix in our cars.
“But he reflected after the season, and we sat down and discussed it last week about what are the next steps.
“He’s decided that he’s going to take a bit of time out, take a sabbatical from Formula 1, essentially.”
Perez set to take break from racing
Horner has implied that Perez, who had been competing in F1 since 2011, is planning to take a break to assess whether he wants to recommence his career in racing.
“I think the thing for Checo is to take a bit of time out, spend it with his family,” he added. “He has been on the treadmill for a long time now
and work out whether he wants to keep going in Formula 1 or maybe look at other categories, maybe sports cars or something along those lines.
“But I think foremost and utmost, he needs to take some time out and see how much he misses driving a grand prix car, and then only he can decide what he wants for the future.”
However, Horner has disclosed that Perez will remain “involved with the brand and the team”, despite the agreement to “step back from driving duties moving forward.”
READ MORE – Red Bull: Sergio Perez’s F1 woes proved ‘very expensive’ in 2024
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