Everything we heard in Qatar as Sergio Perez rumours take new twist

Sergio Perez appears destined to lose his Red Bull seat at the end of the 2024 F1 season.

Red Bull are set to finalise their 2025 F1 driver line-up following the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix during a meeting with key shareholders next week.

Despite holding a contract which covers next season and insisting he is confident of continuing to race for Red Bull in 2025, Perez’s position has been precarious for several months due to his miserable run of form.

The Mexican has scored just 152 points compared to teammate Max Verstappen’s 429 this season, and his poor performances have ultimately cost Red Bull the constructors’ championship.

A new report from ESPN claims Perez will now leave Red Bull at the end of 2024.

Although a much-mooted exit looks to be turning into reality, the manner of Perez’s impending departure is the question mark which remains.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s comments after Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix implied he would rather Perez step down, than be forced into taking the decision out of the six-time grand prix winner’s hands.

Responding to a question from Crash.net about Perez’s future, Horner said: "I'm going to let Checo [Pérez] come to his own conclusions. Nobody’s forcing him one way or another. It's not a nice situation for him to obviously be in."

Crash.net understands nothing will come from Red Bull's side until after the Abu Dhabi finale.

So who will replace Perez?

Liam Lawson is the favourite to replace Perez and become Verstappen’s new teammate from next season.

This scenario would see Red Bull junior and Formula 2 championship contender Isack Hadjar promoted alongside Yuki Tsunoda at sister team RB, who will be renamed Racing Bulls next year.

Williams stand-in Franco Colapinto looked to be an option for Red Bull, but Horner seemingly ruled him out of contention on Sunday.

“He, for sure, is a talent that’s looking to earn his permanent place in Formula 1,” Horner said. “We have a great pool of talent within the Red Bull junior team, and I’m sure Franco will find his way onto the grid in the future.”

On Hadjar, who could win the F2 title at the final round in Abu Dhabi, Horner commented: “It was good to see Isack Hadjar doing a good job today in Formula 2 as well.

“I think there’s what, half a point between the drivers going into the final race in Abu Dhabi. Liam and Yuki were very closely matched in that race [Qatar], in terms of pace, so we’ve got a full stable of drivers.”