Sergio Perez has been dropped by Red Bull (Image: Getty)
, who once accused of ‘trying to kill me’ at the Belgian Grand Prix, has posted a touching tribute after the Mexican driver was dropped by ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Perez endured the worst season of his decorated F1 career in 2024, ending the year with just one top-nine finish in the final eight races. His disappointing points return cost a shot at retaining the Constructors’ Championship title, forcing the team’s leadership to step in and make a change.
Posting a statement to social media on Thursday, Perez said: “I’m incredibly grateful for the past four years with Oracle Racing and for the opportunity to race with such an amazing team.
“Driving for has been an unforgettable experience and I’ll always cherish the successes we achieved together. We broke records, reached remarkable milestones, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible people along the way.
“A big thank you to every person in the team from the management, engineers and mechanics, catering, hospitality, kitchen, marketing and communications, as well as everyone at Milton Keynes, I wish you all the best for the future.
“It has also been an honour to race alongside Max as a teammate all these years and to share in our success. A special thank you to the fans around the world, and especially to the Mexican fans for your unwavering support every day. We’ll meet again soon. And remember…Never give up.”
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Perez and Esteban Ocon did not gel well during their time as team-mates (Image: Getty)
In the comments to the post on X, former Force India team-mate Ocon replied: “Gracias por todo Checo. I learned a lot from you and it was great to race alongside you all these years. Wishing you all the best. I am sure we will see you again soon… nos vemos pronto.”
While Ocon and Perez now appear to be on civil terms, this was not always the case. The pair spent two seasons as team-mates at Force India in 2017 and 2018, coming to blows on multiple occasions. The pair endured a tumultuous first campaign together, crashing in Baku and Hungary.
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The most high-profile scrap came in Belgium though, where the two Force India drivers made contact on the approach to Eau Rouge not once but twice, leaving Ocon incensed, After the chequered flag he took to Twitter (now X) to make his infamous statement.
He posted: “Damage limitation today. We were having a good race until Perez tried to kill me two times! Anyway, he didn’t manage to do so, ending up P9.” The Frenchman signed off his account with a winking emoji.