Red Bull Racing has officially dropped Sergio Perez after four seasons, replacing him with rising star Liam Lawson. The move comes after a tough year that saw the Mexican driver struggle to keep pace with teammate Max Verstappen.
Former F1 driver David Coulthard isn’t backing down from his earlier criticism of Perez, even after facing intense backlash from Mexican fans.
“I took some heat from Mexico, all sorts of the usual vitriol,” Coulthard said on his Formula for Success podcast. “People were asking ‘What do you know?’ and ‘What have you achieved?'”
But the numbers don’t lie. Perez’s performance gap behind Verstappen cost Red Bull valuable points in the constructors’ championship last season.
It’s not about personality, though. Coulthard makes that clear.
“If it were a personality contest or about being one of the most liked drivers in the paddock, Checo would still be in that seat,” he explained. “He’s a brilliant man who’s done a great job and won lots of Grands Prix.”
Perez’s F1 career isn’t completely over. He’ll stay connected to the Red Bull brand in some capacity, just not behind the wheel of their main car.
The decision marks the end of what started as a promising partnership. Perez joined Red Bull in 2021 and showed early promise, but couldn’t maintain the consistency needed to keep up with his dominant teammate.
The team’s choice to bring in Lawson signals their push for fresh talent as they look to maintain their grip on F1’s top spot.
