Christian Horner has suggested that Sergio Perez has just one race remaining for Red Bull (Image: GETTY)
has all but confirmed that won’t be returning to Red Bull as an F1 driver next year. The Mexican has endured a dismal season on the track and has fallen to eighth in the standings after another substandard weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Perez’s appearance at the Losail Circuit began with more disappointment as he was eliminated in the first part of spring qualifying. He then spun out of Sunday’s Grand Prix on a Safety Car restart.
This weekend’s Abu Dhabi race appears to be the 34-year-old’s final one for , with the energy drink giants reportedly with either Liam Lawson or from the team. And Horner has suggested Perez’s time is up.
“Checo’s contributed a huge amount to this team in the four years that he’s been here,” explained the boss in Qatar. “The world championship that Max achieved in 21, the constructors’ world championships in 22 and 23. And obviously this year has been particularly hard.
“He’s won five Grands Prix for us and he’s had some outstanding performances in races like Singapore, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, to name a few.
“Everybody holds Checo in the highest of regard and respect, but obviously the situation that we’re in is as painful for him as it is for the team.”
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Red Bull star Sergio Perez endured another dismal weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix (Image: GETTY)
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The 51-year-old also reflected: “Checo has had a very tough year and obviously the points, the tables are what they are.
“It’s not an enjoyable situation for Checo being in this position with speculation every week. He’s old enough and wise enough to know what the situation is and let’s see where we are after Abu Dhabi.”
Perez joined ahead of the 2021 season as he replaced as ’s team-mate.
And during the final race of his maiden campaign with the Milton Keynes-based team, he helped the Dutchman win his first title after holding off for an extended period midway through the race to buy his colleague some valuable time.
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But he was only able to finish third in the standings in 2022, despite ’s dominance, with star Charles Leclerc clinching second.
Last year, the veteran did manage to end the season directly behind Verstappen in the pecking order as he finished on the podium on nine occasions.
But his form has fallen off a cliff this year. And despite the fact he penned a new contract in the summer, he appears to be hurtling towards the exit.