Red Bull Racing’s decision to drop Sergio Perez from their lineup for the 2025 season is a shocking move, especially considering he was recently given a two-year contract extension just weeks ago. To make matters more perplexing, Perez’s departure comes at a time when Red Bull is trying to maintain stability and consistency in their performances.
At the start of this season, Perez showed promising signs, often struggling to keep up with teammate Max Verstappen but still managing to finish one-two in the drivers’ championship and dominate the constructors’ standings. A notable example was his qualifying performance at Suzuka, where he narrowly missed out on pole position by 0.066s.
However, after the Miami Grand Prix, things took a drastic turn for Perez. He never finished in the top five again, scoring only 49 points from 18 races, while Verstappen picked up 301 points in the same period. This downturn led Red Bull to reevaluate their strategy and ultimately decide that Perez’s services were no longer needed.
While it’s difficult to comprehend how quickly things went awry for Perez, a closer examination of Red Bull’s past decisions reveals a concerning pattern. The team has consistently relied on the driver rather than providing an optimal environment, leading to high-profile failures from Gasly, Albon, and now Perez.
Red Bull’s next move appears to be making a similar mistake by promoting Liam Lawson over more experienced drivers like Carlos Sainz or Daniel Ricciardo. This decision may pay off if Lawson can deliver results, but history suggests that Red Bull’s approach often falls short.
To truly understand the reasons behind this debacle, Red Bull should examine their own mistakes and recognize that the constant is not the driver, but rather the team and its operations.
Source: https://racer.com/2024/12/18/red-bull-made-the-right-decision-but-now-its-about-to-make-the-wrong-one