With his car banned after a collision with Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Pérez must have known that this would likely be his last stint as a Pink Bull System One driver.
In a disappointing – in his own words, “terrible” – future, Pérez did not get a chance to complete a single lap in the Abu Dhabi season finale. Due to Bottas’s dominance, for which the Sauber crew was penalised, Pérez’s RB20 lost power and had to stop.
This denied Perez the chance to log off from F1 2024 on a favorable note. But speaking of running away, he admitted for the first time that he will not race for the Pink Bull in 2025.
Perez noted, “We’re talking to try and see what’s best going forward, and we’ll see what happens in the coming days.” He said he and staff would “discuss what the situation is for both sides and see if we are able to reach an agreement.”
it was cloudless going to abu dhabi The Pérez era at the Pink Bull was coming to an end. The team was defeated in the Constructors’ Championship, finishing the season 1/3 behind McLaren and Ferrari – and, with it, also the associated prize money. This is only the third generation since 2000 that the Drivers’ Champion, Verstappen, does not push for the Constructors’ Champion.
At the end of Perez’s week of speculation about the future, it turns out at most that the pink bulls had decided we had enough volume in our minds and that a trade for 2025 is needed.
By Sunday, Perez was emphatic – that despite his poor performances this season, he would remain in the Pink Bull in the future, scoring one-third of Max Verstappen’s points overall and on the podium since Round 5 in China. Have failed to finish. As he spoke, he made a sign contract extension in june,
Perez stuck to his guns about his 2025 pledge through Thursday’s media briefing. Despite the closeness of qualifying on Saturday, he was not even thinking about his final race with Pink Bull on Sunday, saying “There’s nothing new to add to what I’ve been saying before.”
The track exchange with Pérez on Sunday was also found in Pink Bull’s post-race press cut. In it, the staff quoted Perez as saying: “We’ll see what happens in the coming days, I don’t know what’s going to happen at the moment, I have a contract and the team and I are talking. “It’s a matter of discussing what’s best for everyone moving forward.”
Talks began in Abu Dhabi between Perez’s camp and Pink Bull about working out the word of honor that Perez had mentioned, essentially an agreement to give up the race seat for the future. Looking at Pérez’s contribution to Pink Bull’s contemporary fortunes f1Some more or less ambassadorial positions are on the undisputed desk.
Pérez scored 65 points at the Chinese GP in April. Verstappen scored 337 points. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Close to the race, Pink Bull team principal Christian Horner said the team wanted to have a seat with Pérez and “work out what is the right and appropriate way to move forward.” He highlighted Pérez’s efforts on the team, particularly his two constructors’ titles and his support for Max Verstappen at the 2021 finale in Abu Dhabi. Despite 2024’s troubles, there is still plenty of praise to be left for the Pink Bull driver.
“Sitting here now, he’s still our driver,” Horner said. “So it would be wrong for me to predict what next year will be like until he and I sit down and discuss this year and we think about it as a team.”
But Horner also said finishing third in the championship showed why it was most important for the two drivers to score consistently, especially heading into another competitive season in 2025. “Ferrari will be stronger with its line-up next year,” he said. , “McLaren has a strong line-up. There will be an inexperienced driver in one seat of the Mercedes. And so for us, it is very important that both our drivers are performing well and there is no significant difference.
As soon as Perez’s projected progress is confirmed, the Pink Bull’s next activity will be to decide who will race with Verstappen. Horner said the four-time champion is “the toughest teammate in the world”.
All signs point to RB’s Liam Lawson getting the nod in Abu Dhabi and becoming a Pink Bull Racing driver in 2025. The uncapped Josander retired in Abu Dhabi due to an old drop wheel, leaving him with fighting issues, and has only 11 F1 races to his name. On the other hand, he has always been very popular inside the Pink Bull setup, especially through assistant Helmut Marko. Pink Bull also has a history of favoring such inexperience, promoting Alex Albon to become Verstappen’s teammate in just 12 races in 2019. The 22-year-old Lawson had just one escape and six points.
Selling Lawson could be disappointing for Yuki Tsunoda, who qualified for Forward in all six races they spent as teammates this season. Tsunoda, 24, has made the RB debut since 2021 and has made significant strides in every future, but there remain doubts over the Pink Bulls selling him to the senior team.
“I think Liam has done a really good job in challenging conditions,” Horner said after the race in Abu Dhabi. “If you analyze what he has done in that time and what his race pace is, I think he has done a good job.
“I think Yuki has done a good job. In the event that anything is finalized with Cheko, he will be the only candidate we will consider.”
If the Pink Bulls name Lawson as Verstappen’s teammate for 2025, it will leave a seat with Tsunoda at RB that is likely to be filled by Isak Hadjar. The 20-year-old Hadjar finished runner-up in this future F2 standings and will take part in two F1 follow seasons for Pink Bull in 2024. He hinted in Qatar that he already knew his plans for 2025, having emerged as the coveted teenager at Pink Bull’s Youngsters. The program is ready to advance to F1.
Sergio Pérez walks to his storage ahead of the qualifying session ahead of the Abu Dhabi System One Brilliant Prix. (Hamad I Mohammed/Pool/AFP using Getty Photographs)
Perez’s struggles through 2024 were difficult to watch. He started off strong, taking four podiums in the first five races. At Suzuka, a real ‘driver’s monitor’ where Verstappen’s herbal products come into view, he was once within a 10th of taking pole. As his reign began to wane, Pink Bull thought the new pledge would give him the support and boost he needed. Horner admitted Friday that it simply “didn’t work.”
The goal of being Pérez’s backup has left the team in its place of flux, trying to find conditions favorable to his progress and completing a rollercoaster four-season partnership. Horner said there was “no immediate rush” to work on the issues, but a quick solution would undoubtedly be suitable for all occasions.
It could give Pink Bull a chance to turn the page and focus fully on 2025 – and, assuming he gets the seat, will give Lawson maximum time to prepare for the most ambitious task in racing: teaming up with Verstappen. To be a companion of. It’s an activity that Perez warned about on Thursday, saying perhaps understanding how the wind was blowing could be a hefty test for any young driving force.
“Being teammates with Max at Red Bull as a young driver, I wouldn’t love to be in those shoes if I’m honest,” Pérez said.
“People can’t underestimate the level of challenge in this seat.”
Manage Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Photographs
