Will Courtenay is head of race strategy but will leave RBR to take up the role of sporting director at McLaren although Red Bull are insisting he serves out of his contract.
It does seem like Red Bull are haemorrhaging top staff at the moment. When the came into F1 they where all about the party, music blasting in garage, swimming pool at Monaco etc... It seems like something or someone has messed things up big time. I can't imagine it's Max's Dad could be the sole cause all the trouble. Maybe it's just a combination of things, like allegations against Horner, Dietrich dying, and a fight for power between Max's side of the garage and Horner with their respective shareholders? From the outside it would seem like removing Horner could cure the 'problem' even though he has been 'proven' to have done nothing wrong!
I wonder if , after so many years in F1 ( 14 ) , despite his thoughts his heart just isn’t really up to a fight anymore ? I would be sorry to see him go , and if he is to go at the end of the season , I hope he walks rather than give the Helmet a chance to say anything .
Red Bull is reportedly set to axe Sergio Perez, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend to be the Mexican driver's last race. An ESPN report claims decision makers at Red Bull have already made the call but will make it official during a shareholder's meeting next week. It's understood Perez's poor form this year has irritated senior figures, with the Mexican driver carrying some blame for Red Bull being off the pace for the constructor's championship.
On Sky Ted Kravitz said he heard that Checo has been told it’s his decision to drive next year or not . It gives him the opportunity to leave properly , or even carry on . what if he gets to try the 2025 car and is quick again .
That as well , I think the way Ted worded it was to make Checo look like he still had an option . My heart hopes he still does , But head says no . I do just wonder if Carlos Sim has any input .
I agree it’s a real shame, it’s hard to believe it’s only been 3 years since he played a crucial role in the Championship decider. Even last year he started well, winning 2 of the first 4, then he stuffed it in the wall in Monaco qualifying, whilst Max went on to produce one of the best qualifying laps I’ve ever seen and ever since then he’s just looked various degrees of lost. It’s really reminiscent of Schumacher’s time at Benetton, where he made a succession of perfectly decent F1 drivers look awful.
Perez was never a absolute top driver, but he was decent for many years and it's sad to see it end on such a deep low. It has to end now though, he's been beyond abysmal for 18 months. I think Miami 2023 broke his mind. He was never the same again after that race. If it's Lawson, he's getting thrown in fully at the deep end and I don't imagine his fate will be much better
Agreed, personally I’d be tempted to try Tsunoda - he’s gone next year if he stays at RB and it gives Lawson a year to gain more experience - you can always swap them mid year if necessary. Whilst I’m not a fan of the old guys hanging about, the only other option I think might work out would be Magnussen. He’s been a good team player at Haas this year and has the maturity to play the wingman role, in return he gets the opportunity to extend his career and might have the possibility to win a Grand Prix - having said that I can’t give you any reason I’d expect him to perform any better than Sergio.
Official . Perez and Red Bull split . Sergio Perez is to leave Red Bull two years before the end of his contract after reaching a termination agreement with the team. The move comes after a weak season for the Mexican, who failed to win a race and finished on the podium only four times as team-mate Max Verstappen won his fourth world title. Perez, who has essentially been sacked, said: "I'm incredibly grateful for the past four years with Red Bull Racing and for the opportunity to race with such an amazing team. "Driving for Red Bull has been an unforgettable experience and I'll always cherish the successes we achieved together." Perez, 34, is expected to be replaced by 22-year-old New Zealander Liam Lawson, in a promotion from the sister Racing Bulls team. Lawson, who drove six races at the end of 2024 and five during 2023, is said to have been told he would be promoted before the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In Abu Dhabi, Perez expressed his concern for an inexperienced driver being put in alongside Verstappen. "Being team-mates with Max at Red Bull as a young driver, I wouldn't like to be in those shoes, if I'm honest," Perez said. "People cannot underestimate the level of challenge that there is in this seat." Although Red Bull had already decided to ditch Perez, he was reluctant to leave and his management sought the best possible compensation agreement before acquiescing. FIA changes criticised as they are voted through Published 5 days ago Hamilton to Ferrari and what else to look out for in 2025 Published 8 December Red Bull's decision to drop Perez raises questions about the decision-making of team principal Christian Horner, who made the decision in May to sign him until the end of 2026. The move came at the start of a slump in form from Perez - which echoed a similar decline in 2023 - and Horner said the intention was to allow him to recover his confidence. But Perez's performances did not improve. He took his final podium in the fifth race of the season in China and after finishing fourth at the following race in Miami, his best result was a sixth place in the Netherlands. His one highlight for the remainder of the season was a strong performance in Azerbaijan, where he was on course for a podium finish before a late crash with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz. Perez's inability to get close to Verstappen's performances was a significant factor in Red Bull losing the constructors' championship. They finished third behind McLaren and Ferrari, despite Verstappen's nine victories. McLaren took six wins between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Ferrari five with Charles Leclerc and Sainz. Horner re-signed Perez - giving him a two-year extension that seemed inexplicable to many in F1 - rather than taking Sainz, who is being replaced at Ferrari next season by Lewis Hamilton. The basis for the decision was the tension that existed between the Verstappen and Sainz camps when the drivers were paired at Red Bull's junior team in 2015 and early 2016. But Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen said he had never expressed a preference for Sainz not to rejoin Red Bull. Perez took five victories for Red Bull, one in 2021, and two each in 2022 and 2023, but was able to get close to Verstappen only for the first four races of 2023. However, he was instrumental in Verstappen winning his first world title in 2021. His aggressive defence against Hamilton at the season finale in Abu Dhabi allowed Verstappen to close back up to the seven-time champion in the middle of the race. That meant when the decisive late safety-car period happened, Hamilton did not have a sufficient gap to pit for fresh tyres while also retaining the race lead, which he likely would have had Perez not blocked him for so long. That meant he was vulnerable to Verstappen, who did stop for fresh rubber. Race director Michael Masi started the race for one final lap, having ignored the rules governing a safety car period in two different ways, and Verstappen, on fresh tyres, was able to pass Hamilton, ensuring he rather than the Mercedes driver won the championship. Related topics
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has stated it was Sergio Perez’s own decision to walk away from Formula 1 Seems like they said to him,you can either jump or be pushed.
Sad, but inevitable for Sergio - it must be hard mentally to suddenly find there are levels you can’t reach and I’m sure once the disappointment fades he’ll be relieved to be away from that. He’s a much better driver than recent results have shown, so hopefully he can reset and come back refreshed in 2026 (maybe with GM). It’s interesting that they haven’t announced his replacement yet, despite the fact that everyone seems to know it’s Lawson. I guess this means Hadjar will move up from F2?
It will be very interesting to see how Lawson does if he is the one to take the challlenge of the Red Bull poison chalice and then just be another driver on the RBR scrap heap,or can he successfully be a serious number two?
From BBC Sport Formula 1 please log in to view this image Image source,Getty Images Image caption, Isack Hadjar finished second in Formula 2 last season Andrew Benson F1 Correspondent Published 20 December 2024 220 Comments Frenchman Isack Hadjar has been promoted to Red Bull's second team to race alongside Japanese Yuki Tsunoda during the 2025 Formula 1 season. The announcement fills the final seat on the 20-car F1 grid. You were correct, Sportista.
You have to say - if it works out - it’s going to be luck rather than judgement. It probably is time for Hadjar to move up or move on, he doesn’t have an outstanding Junior record, but Colapinto impressed for a few races despite also being relatively unimpressive in the junior categories, so that doesn’t necessarily mean much and he’s not going to learn much from another crack at F2. In Lawson’s case, it really shines a light on how costly the Daniel Riccardo experiment was. Lawson could have a whole extra season’s experience behind him by now, unless the RedBull becomes a lot easier to set up over the winter, that seems like it’s going to be something he’ll really miss. I still figure Yuki must have run over Helmut’s dog or something, because I really can’t understand what he would have needed to do to get a chance. The excuse given is that he’s hot-headed, but Lawson looked the same in Mexico. He’s beaten everyone they’ve paired him with, including ending two careers. The only thing I can think is with his career being controlled by Honda, they fear a lack of control/difficult situation during the season should they need to get rid of him?
I think Yuki shot himself in the foot in his early days with his mental attitude. He would say thinks like he would rather play games than work on his fitness. He hated the food he was supposed to eat to be in the best shape. I think there was lots more they kept hidden, they even moved him close to the team base so they could 'manage' him better! I can't imagine that went down well with Helmut - he seems very black and white i.e. you do what I want or I don't like you anymore...... I think there are 2 reasons why Yuki is still driving for them, 1 Honda have a bit of sway and I guess there is some contractual stuff there re PU and technology/IP. 2 They haven't got enough drivers that they think can perform better.
