Perez’s Red Bull Future Hangs in Balance, Warns Horner

Horner: Perez’s Role Under Review After Brazil Struggle

05/11/2024

Christian Horner hints at Perez’s uncertain future as Red Bull assesses the Mexican driver’s performance following another disappointing Formula 1 weekend.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted they need to “look at the facts” concerning Sergio Perez’s position within the team amid another mediocre Formula 1 weekend in Brazil.

Perez arrived at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix hoping for a positive result after finishing last in his home race in Mexico the previous weekend.

Despite a strong comeback in the Sprint race to secure the final point, Perez delivered a lackluster performance in the main race, finishing 11th while Max Verstappen gave a masterclass to take victory.

The Mexican compromised his own race from the start with a spin exiting Turn 10 on the first lap, dropping his Red Bull to the back of the field.

“It was a tough race for Checo; an early spin sent him to the back of the pack. This weekend was a chance in the constructors’ championship to pull a lot of points back on Ferrari and McLaren.”

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize, which is obviously frustrating. But we’ll review this and come back hoping to fight in Vegas.”

Asked why Perez couldn’t mount a comeback like Verstappen, Horner replied, “I haven’t attended the debrief, I haven’t heard his feedback. But I didn’t see anything obvious in the race.”

Perez has contributed only 20 points across the seven races since the summer break, fewer than Verstappen’s total in Brazil alone.

With Red Bull currently third in the standings behind McLaren and Ferrari, Horner stated last weekend that “difficult decisions” would need to be made regarding Perez’s position.

Asked whether the time to make a driver change was approaching, Horner replied, “I think everything in life is subjective, and we need to look at the facts.”

“We’re working hard with Checo; he had a chassis change this weekend. I thought he had a good Sprint race, but in the main race, it wasn’t his day.”

“The facts? Sergio Perez is our current driver. Liam Lawson did a great job again, as did Yuki [Tsunoda]. But Liam, in particular, considering his experience.”

Perez’s Red Bull Future Hangs in Balance, Warns Horner Perez’s Red Bull Future Hangs in Balance, Warns Horner

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Full 2025 F1 testing results

Carlos Sainz
1
CARLOS
SAINZ
Leader
Lewis Hamilton
2
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+0.031s
Charles Leclerc
3
CHARLES
LECLERC
+0.083s
George Russell
4
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+0.197s
Max Verstappen
5
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.218s
Alex Albon
6
ALEX
ALBON
+0.302s
Kimi Antonelli
7
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+0.436s
Oscar Piastri
8
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+0.592s
Pierre Gasly
9
PIERRE
GASLY
+0.692s
Lance Stroll
10
LANCE
STROLL
+0.881s
Liam Lawson
11
LIAM
LAWSON
+0.904s
Jack Doohan
12
JACK
DOOHAN
+1.020s
Yuki Tsunoda
13
YUKI
TSUNODA
+1.149s
Isack Hadjar
14
ISACK
HADJAR
+1.327s
Fernando Alonso
15
FERNANDO
ALONSO
+1.352s
Esteban Ocon
16
ESTEBAN
OCON
+1.380s
Lando Norris
17
LANDO
NORRIS
+1.534s
Gabriel Bortoleto
18
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
+1.709s
Nico Hulkenberg
19
NICO
HULKENBERG
+2.109s
Oliver Bearman
20
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+3.013s

Testing Total Distance Covered by Team

1
Mercedes
458
2
Haas
457
3
Racing Bulls
454
4
Alpine
405
5
Williams
395
6
Ferrari
382
7
McLaren
381
8
Sauber
354
9
Aston Martin
306
10
Red Bull
304
Race Center
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Australian GP
13 Mar - 16 Mar
FP1
14 MAR 01:30
FP2
14 MAR 05:00
FP3
15 MAR 01:30
QU
15 MAR 05:00
RACE
16 MAR 04:00
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Australian Flag
Australian
Albert Park
16 Mar
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Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
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Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
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