Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing's team principal, has provided further clarity on Sergio Perez’s exit from the team, revealing that the decision was made by Perez himself. Horner explained that Perez has chosen to take some time off to reflect on his next steps following a challenging season.
The 34-year-old Mexican driver’s future with Red Bull had been under scrutiny after a difficult second half of the 2024 season. Despite a strong start, Perez’s performance declined, and speculation around his position increased.
Perez’s Contribution to Red Bull’s Success
Horner praised Perez’s contributions to the team, stating, “Checo, he’s been a fantastic member of this team. It’s been a tough year for him but he’s a great person and of course [he] played such a key role in the ’21 drivers’ championship, ’22 and ’23 constructors’."
Perez’s notable achievements include finishing second in the 2023 drivers' championship and securing five Grand Prix victories with Red Bull. However, after the season’s conclusion, he and the team mutually agreed to part ways, with Perez deciding to take time out from Formula 1.
Perez Reflects on Future Plans
After the season, Horner and Perez sat down to discuss his future. “He reflected after the season and we sat down and discussed it last week about what are the next steps, and he’s decided that he’s going to take a bit of time out,” Horner revealed.
In addition to focusing on his career, Perez also expressed a desire to spend more time with his young family. "We’re sad to see him leave the team, but obviously it’s time for him to spend with his young family as well and reflect on what he wants to do for the future," Horner said.
Perez’s Contract Extension and the Team’s Support
Earlier in 2024, Red Bull had extended Perez’s contract for two years. Horner explained that the extension was designed to reduce external speculation and provide Perez with some stability. “At the time we signed it, he’d had four podiums in five races, so it was a logical extension just to remove speculation, of which there was already too much around the team,” said Horner.
However, the extension did not include any performance clauses that would have impacted Perez’s decision to step away. “And of course any contract has certain performance clauses and criteria within it, so it didn’t make any difference to this decision of Sergio’s to step away and take a sabbatical,” Horner clarified.
Perez’s Struggles in 2024
Perez finished the 2024 season in eighth place in the drivers' championship, 285 points behind his teammate, Max Verstappen. Red Bull also lost the constructors' title, slipping to third place behind McLaren and Ferrari. Horner discussed Perez’s struggles with adapting to the car’s performance changes over the course of the season.
“I think that’s the thing, I think that he’s not really quite sure,” Horner said, adding that the car’s performance window became narrower as the season progressed, which affected Perez more than Verstappen. “He struggled with that compared to Max. But obviously, [with] such an enormous gulf in points difference between the two drivers, he was struggling with that, and that of course then puts more pressure on him and the harder you try sometimes the slower you go, and it became almost like a vicious circle for him.”
Despite some flashes of strong form, such as in Azerbaijan, Perez couldn’t convert those moments into consistent results. "It’s been a hugely frustrating campaign for him, and of course that’s hurt us quite badly in the constructors’ championship," Horner admitted.
No Option for Perez to Move to RB Team
When asked about the possibility of Perez moving to Red Bull’s sister team, RB, Horner confirmed that this was not an option. "I think at the stage that Checo’s at in his career that wouldn’t really have been an option,” he explained. “For him it was nothing that we really ever discussed or we didn’t discuss or even talk about. He’s come to this decision now and obviously we support it fully."
As Red Bull moves forward into the 2025 season, with Liam Lawson set to become Max Verstappen’s teammate, Horner expressed his full support for Perez’s decision. The team’s focus now shifts to its future lineup as it continues to build on its past success.