Red Bull reportedly axes Sergio Perez with announcement to come before year's end
Embattled driver Sergio Perez has reportedly been axed by Red Bull with his departure from the Milton Keynes-based squad set to be announced before Christmas.
Following the end of the Formula 1 season, Perez has been grappling with his future after the team directed the 34-year-old towards retiring from the sport or taking on an ambassadorial role — similar to that of Daniel Ricciardo in 2023.
Confirmation of Perez's axing from Red Bull's driver line-up is expected before Christmas, once Perez has decided which career path he wants to take.
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Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing leaving the FIA garage after the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 28, 2024 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images) Getty
Germany's Sky Sports was one of the first outlets to report Perez's exit before ESPN claimed that Liam Lawson had won the race for the seat vacated by Perez.
Despite signing a two-year contract extension in June, Perez's form in the back half of 2024 arguably cost Red Bull the constructors' championship.
On Monday, the FIA published the official F1 2025 entry list with nine of the 10 teams' driver pairings publicised.
While Yuki Tsunoda was named for Red Bulls' sister team RB, which will formally rebrand to Racing Bulls in 2025, no name for the second driver was provided.
RB's reserve driver Liam Lawson was promoted after Daniel Ricciardo was let go following September's Singapore Grand Prix. He was unsigned beyond 2024.
Lawson's absence pointed towards his elevation to Red Bull ahead of Tsunoda.
The New Zealand product will transition to the top team with just 11 grand prix under his belt across two stints with RB — which has historically been used as a junior team to develop younger drivers — in the last two seasons.
Liam Lawson as a Red Bull junior in 2023. Mark Thompson via Getty Images
Lawson's spot at RB is most likely to be filled by Formula 2 runner-up Isack Hadjar.
Tsunoda returns for a fifth straight season with RB after failing to earn a call-up.
Perez's future post-F1 is unclear.
Walking away from Red Bull Racing would allow him to race in a different motorsport category next year.
Alternatively, with General Motors' Cadillac given the green light to join F1 in 2026 as the class' 11th team, the new venture could provide a way back into the cockpit for Perez.
At the end of 2025, both of Mercedes' seats, a place at Alpine and Tsunoda's contract are currently all up for negotiation too.
