Purple Bull chiefs are poised to carry talks over Sergio Perez’s future amid a rising expectation that the Mexican will likely be changed on the workforce for 2025.
Though Perez was handed a two-year contract extension in June for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, the 34-year-old has struggled badly for outcomes since then and scored simply 9 factors throughout the ultimate eight grands prix amid a sustained run of poor kind which successfully value Purple Bull the Constructors’ Championship.
Christian Horner, Purple Bull’s workforce principal, informed Sky Sports activities F1 on the grid forward of Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that “we’ll sit down this week and reflect on the season” with Perez.
After retiring from the season finale on the second lap, Perez admitted in his interviews for the primary time publicly that he was speaking to the workforce about what occurs subsequent to determine “what is best for everybody moving forwards”.
Perez, who as much as Sunday had repeatedly insisted he would stay within the seat subsequent to Max Verstappen into subsequent season, stated: “We’ll see what occurs within the coming days, I do not know what will occur in the intervening time, I’ve a contract and the workforce and I’ve been speaking.
“It’s a case of discussing what is the best for everybody moving forwards.”
Horner reiterated after the race that talks could be held this week.
“Obviously those discussions will happen between Checo (Perez) and the team,” stated Horner.
“Now we have got the season out of the way we will sit down with him and reflect on the season and obviously where it has gone wrong and collectively work out what is the right and appropriate way forward.
“Checo has been an important servant of this workforce.”
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Perez believes he prolonged his contract with Purple Bull for purpose, as rumours he could depart proceed to develop
Who’s in line to switch Perez?
Ought to Purple Bull and Perez come to the choice to make a change, then Liam Lawson is taken into account the favorite to step up from sister outfit RB to switch him.
Yuki Tsunoda is testing for Purple Bull for the primary time in Tuesday’s post-season session in Abu Dhabi in a pre-arranged outing which Honda, the Japanese driver’s backers and the workforce’s engine companions, pushed for. Nevertheless, the check will not be thought of a pre-cursor to Tsunoda touchdown a coveted promotion regardless of the 24-year-old being the highest factors scorer at RB over the previous two seasons.
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Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Perez have their say on what their future may appear like in 2025 and if they may bag the Purple Bull seat as the choice looms
Requested to evaluate Lawson’s six-race cameo for RB after the New Zealander changed Daniel Ricciardo from October’s United States GP, Horner stated: “Liam, in challenging circumstances, has done a very good job if you analyse what he’s done in the time that he’s had and the race pace that he’s had. I think he’s done a good job.
“Yuki has completed job they usually, within the occasion that something was determined with Checo, could be the candidates we might clearly look in direction of.”
Having slipped from first to third in this year’s Constructors’ Championship behind two teams, McLaren and Ferrari, whose drivers were more closely-matched in competitiveness and points scoring, Horner admitted it was vital his team’s second driver was closer to four-time champion Verstappen in 2025.
“You possibly can see the significance of getting two drivers scoring on a daily and collective foundation within the Constructors’ Championship is essential,” he stated.
“Ferrari will be strong with their line-up next year, McLaren have a strong line-up, Mercedes will have an inexperienced driver in one of their seats, and so for us it’s very important that both of our drivers are delivering and there’s not a significant gap.”
Purple Bull junior Isack Hadjar – who on Sunday completed as runner-up on this 12 months’s F2 championship – could be the front-runner to take the second RB seat if both Lawson or Tsunoda have been promoted.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit’s curiosity in Williams’ Franco Colapinto, who they’d have had to purchase out of his deal on the Grove workforce, has cooled in latest weeks. Colapinto is about to revert to a reserve position at Williams in 2025 with Carlos Sainz arriving from Ferrari to accomplice Alex Albon.
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