F1 News: Red Bull Insider Reveals Sergio Perez Announcement Timeline

Saajan Jogia | 4 Hours Ago

Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez talks to media at the Formula 1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has shed light on the timeline for announcing Sergio Perez's future with the team. The Mexican driver faced a tough season with the Milton Keynes outfit, which ultimately cost the team the Constructors' Championship. Decisions regarding the 2025 driver lineups for both Red Bull and its junior team, VCARB, are also set to be announced.

Red Bull began the 2024 season strongly, with Max Verstappen claiming 7 victories in the first 10 races and Perez achieving podium finishes in 4 of the first 5 Grands Prix. However, after the Chinese Grand Prix, Perez's form began to decline, coinciding with a resurgence from teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes, who climbed to the forefront in the subsequent races.

Perez's contract was extended for two more seasons, with Red Bull hoping the decision would motivate the 34-year-old to deliver stronger performances. However, following the summer break, not only did Perez struggle, but even Verstappen’s form began to waver, with the RB20’s balance issues identified as the root cause. These car-related challenges, combined with the growing points gap between Verstappen and Perez, saw Red Bull relinquish the championship lead to McLaren after the race in Baku, and later slip to third behind Ferrari in the standings.

While Verstappen managed to clinch his fourth championship title in Las Vegas and ended the season with 437 points in the Drivers' Standings, Perez on the other hand finished in the eighth spot with only 152 points. Red Bull had been evaluating the performance between VCARB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson for a potential Red Bull promotion if there came a time when the team needed to adopt drastic measures.

Considering Perez's performance this season, Red Bull had been evaluating several permutations to keep him in the team, reportedly, but not in the capacity of a racing driver. However, Perez has been adamant in his messages to the press that he will be racing next year as per his racing contract.

Marko has revealed the timeline for the decision that is to be announced on the driver lineups of both teams in question in his Speedweek column. He also addressed and dismissed rumors about Red Bull offering Perez a substantial payout to part ways. He said:

"We will be announcing news in the next few days about what the driver pairing will look like next year. There is a lot of speculation and transfer fees are being mentioned that are complete nonsense."

Commenting on Tsunoda's recent post-season test in Red Bull's RB20, Marko noted that the test provided the team with valuable insights into his potential as a future teammate to Verstappen. Marko added:

"During the post-season tests, Yuki Tsunoda was allowed to take to the track in the RB20 and the team was happy with his technical feedback. In this respect, he is far better than people give him credit for."