Source:REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
[Saba Sports News] Multiple authoritative media outlets have reported that Mexican F1 driver Sergio Perez will leave the Red Bull team at the end of the 2024 season. Since the F1 Miami Grand Prix in May, Perez has failed to finish in the top six in the races. In the personal points standings, Perez trails teammate Max Verstappen by 227 points. In the team standings, Red Bull is 59 points behind McLaren, with senior management attributing the team’s decline in points to Perez’s poor performance. In light of this, after the F1 Qatar Grand Prix last Sunday, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hinted in an interview that Perez was about to exit. Earlier this year, Perez renewed his contract until 2025, which means he cannot be directly dismissed, but he could take on a role such as an ambassador with the Red Bull team. Daniel Ricciardo was also offered a similar option when he left Red Bull’s junior team in September, but he chose to sever ties with Red Bull. Franco Colapinto, a rookie from Williams, was a strong candidate for Red Bull, but his poor performances in the last three races and costly crashes in the Brazilian and Las Vegas Grands Prix led Red Bull to decide not to pursue him further. Liam Lawson, who replaced Ricciardo at the U.S. Grand Prix, has become a popular candidate to take over Perez’s seat.