Red Bull has admitted the decision to renew Sergio Perez‘s deal earlier this term failed to deliver the desired impact as speculation persists over his Formula 1 future.
Perez entered this weekend’s final round in Abu Dhabi with scrutinisation over his seat amid heightened rumours that Red Bull has elected to replace him next season.
The Mexican has endured a torrid season as he lies 275 points behind team-mate Max Verstappen, resigning Red Bull to third spot in the Constructors Championship.
But while Perez’s stance has been unwavering, Red Bull boss Christian Horner has reiterated that the topic will be discussed in a meeting when the season has ended.
Horner’s comments come as both RB drivers remain eager to attain a move to the senior team, with Yuki Tsunoda to drive the RB20 in the post-season test next week.
“Well, first of all, the test with Yuki has been planned for some time,” Horner told media including Motorsport Week.
“So it’s been on the cards for, I think, three months or something like that. So that’s something that’s been scheduled.
“Now, obviously, Checo is our driver. He remains our driver and contracted to the team.
“Obviously, this season hasn’t gone to anyone’s plan, particularly with Checo’s performance since Monaco. It’s been very, very tough for him.
“So inevitably, once we get this race out of the way, we’ll sit down and discuss the future.
“But Checo has been a very important part of our team. He’s done a tremendous job for us.
“If you think back, only three years to that 2021 final, two Constructors’ Championships that he’s contributed to as well.
“So there’s huge respect for Checo within the team. And nobody likes to see him struggling like the way he has. And we’ll sit down and discuss things after the season.”
Perez future decisive to Red Bull’s 2025 plans
Asked whether Red Bull has made up its mind on whether Perez will continue, Horner replied: “We’re fortunate that we’ve got a tremendous pool of talent.
“It was good to see Isack Hadjar getting a run out as well in free practice there. We’ve got two talented drivers in VCARB.
“But until the situation is clear with Sergio and what he wants to do, everything else is purely speculation.”
Horner admits Perez deal didn’t work out
Perez’s continued insistence that he will remain a Red Bull driver next season has emanated from the multi-term contract extension that he was handed back in June.
Horner has acknowledged that giving the six-time F1 race winner a new deal in the hope that it would inspire an uptick as his results started to dip hasn’t materialised.
“Obviously, at the time, Sergio was performing extremely well,” he highlighted. “I think he had four podiums in the first five races.
“And in order to settle his mind and extend that run of form for the rest of the season, we elected to go early, which obviously didn’t work.
“So, you know, that’s just life sometimes.
“I think, you know, Checo, you have to look beyond this year for the contribution he’s made to our team. He’s been a great team player. He’s a great person.
“He’s extremely popular within the team. He’s worked very hard over the four years that he’s been with us.
“He’s played a vital role in the Constructors’ Championships that we’ve won, the five Grand Prix victories that he had in our car.
“It’s been the most successful pairing that we’ve ever had, finishing first and second in the Drivers’ Championship last year.
“So, I think, you know, nobody more is frustrated with the results than Checo from his own high standards. And, you know, that’s obviously been painful for him, for the team.
“We’ve tremendously hard to try and support him and will continue to do so up until the chequered flag on Sunday, where hopefully he can get a good result at the final race of the year.”
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