Christian Horner has given a further insight into Sergio Perez’s exit from Red Bull, with the team boss stating that the Mexican came to the decision to step away himself as he takes time to reflect on his next steps.
Speculation had been building over Perez’s position at the Milton Keynes outfit for some time after what proved to be a challenging campaign, the 34-year-old having suffered a downturn in form as the season progressed despite a strong start.
ANALYSIS: Perez had a contract for 2025 – so why has his Red Bull journey come to an end now?
While the team had handed him a two-year contract extension back in June, it was confirmed after the season had concluded that Perez and Red Bull had reached an agreement to part ways with immediate effect, whilst Liam Lawson will make the step up from RB to become Max Verstappen’s team mate in 2025.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after Perez’s departure had been announced, Horner was asked about the difficult internal discussion that the six-time race winner must have had within himself regarding the situation.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Horner responded. “Checo, he’s been a fantastic member of this team. It’s been a tough year for him but he’s a great person and of course [he] played such a key role in the ’21 drivers’ championship, ’22 and ’23 constructors’.
“He was second in the drivers’ world championship last year, he’s won five Grands Prix in our cars. But he reflected after the season and we sat down and discussed it last week about what are the next steps, and he’s decided that he’s going to take a bit of time out.
