Abu Dhabi 2021 argument put forward as Red Bull told to retain Sergio Perez

Former Racing Point and Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer has urged Red Bull to retain Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen for the 2025 F1 season.

Perez is out of contract at the end of 2024 and is fighting for his Red Bull future.

The Mexican has started the season strongly, finishing second in three of the opening five races.

Perez has often started seasons strongly at Red Bull before petering out in the European part of the season - something he must avoid to stay with the team.

Szafnauer - who worked with Perez at Force India and Racing Point - would keep the five-time grand prix winner if he was in Christian Horner’s shoes.

“I was in Abu Dhabi doing this F1 thing, David Coulthard was with me on stage, and I was asked the question, 'If you were Christian Horner, who would you replace Checo with?'" Szafnauer said.

“I said 'Knowing Checo as well as I do, I would replace Checo with Checo'. If I were Christian, I would still keep him there for next year.”

Perez famously played a crucial role in Verstappen’s title triumph over Lewis Hamilton.

He managed to keep Hamilton behind for a couple of laps, costing the Mercedes driver crucial time.

Had Perez not done that, it’s likely Hamilton would have been able to pit under the Virtual Safety Car when Verstappen did or have a big enough gap to stop for fresh rubber at the end of the race following Nicholas Latifi’s famous crash.

"Let's not forget, the first year Max won, it was partly because of Checo, partly because of the circumstance," he added. "Don't just look at the last race, look at all the other races that also counted to that win.

"That was when he had the nickname in Mexico as the 'Minister of Defence' or whatever he was. He's had some lows. This year, from what I can see, apart from a couple of races where I think he should have finished a bit higher, he's doing it."