After Ricciardo, Sergio Perez is also close to retirement from F1. It seems that the Mexican driver is reaching the end of his career, and the announcement could come during his home GP.
It’s clear that the performance of Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is not on the same level as his teammate, Max Verstappen, who, despite not having the best car on the track, still managed to reach the podium during the Singapore Grand Prix. The Mexican driver has only scored 13 points in the races following the summer break, compared to the 54 points of his teammate. He currently sits eighth in the Drivers’ Championship; despite a brief flash of brilliance in the Baku curves, the Guadalajara native returned to his usual results during the last weekend.
On Channel 4, David Coulthard, former Formula 1 driver, shared his thoughts on the recent performances of the car with number 11 and its potential future, suggesting it could mirror that of the Australian driver recently let go by Racing Bulls: “He was great in Baku, but one swallow doesn’t make a summer. It was a great result, but we need to expect more, even if he is just the second driver. After Baku, there was a bit of relief. But now, in Singapore, we have to face reality again. If Sergio Perez doesn’t regularly score points for the rest of the year, he may face the same fate as Daniel Ricciardo“.
Joe Saward on Perez’s potential retirement: “Russell and Piastri could be alternatives.”
Of course, this is just speculation and nothing has been confirmed yet, but the situation for the Mexican driver shouldn’t be underestimated, especially following Daniel Ricciardo’s departure from Racing Bulls. Commenting on the rumors in the latest edition of his Green Notebook, F1 journalist Joe Saward discussed the possibility of a plan from the Milton Keynes team regarding Sergio Perez’s potential retirement announcement.
“One interesting rumour in Singapore was that Perez and Red Bull have worked out a plan that will see him announce his retirement in Mexico, giving him a more gentle exit than being fired and will be less painful for Red Bull sales in the Americas. “This would give Red Bull the chance to shop around for a new driver in 2025“.
“Despite its expensive young driver programmes, Red Bull does not have someone ready to step up alongside Max Verstappen. Perhaps it will if Lawson really shines but there is already all that Red Bull is out there shopping for the future. Christian Horner was talking the other day about George Russell, as he does not have a contract after the end of next year. There are still some who think that Verstappen might take off to Mercedes, but I think the price he will want to be paid for his services and the baggage he brings with him may make him less attractive than he might think“Saward explained regarding possible alternatives to pair with Max Verstappen, reiterating what the team principal of the Milton Keynes squad said about the British driver from Mercedes.
Regarding the future of Horner’s team, there have also been hints about the likelihood that Aston Martin, after securing Adrian Newey, might be ready to sign the three-time world champion, a Red Bull favorite, for 2026. Meanwhile, the Milton Keynes team could be looking at Oscar Piastri as a possible option for the future: “If it is down to money, Aston Martin has shown that it will pay whatever it takes to get anyone and so Max must be considered the next likely target, although he is going nowhere unless he can be convinced that the packages available in 2026 will be better than Red Bull. And we just don’t know.. If you ask around at Red Bull, they seem to be very impressed with Oscar Piastri and they see chinks in the Woking armour, because Oscar’s manager Mark Webber is close to Red Bull and no doubt is intrigued by the question of how McLaren can keep two stars happy in the years ahead. That is a fair question.“.
Photo: Sergio Perez.
