Christian Horner reportedly wants to slot-in ‘protege’ Daniel Ricciardo into 2025 Red Bull seat in place of Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez is going through an extremely torrid time at the pinnacle of motor racing! Since signing a contract extension with Red Bull, his form has taken a massive dip, and amidst this, it has come to light that Christian Horner is plotting to sack him ahead of next year.

The name that has hit the web as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez is that of the eight-time Grand Prix winner, Daniel Ricciardo. Moreover, this has been recently confirmed by renowned AMuS journalist, Michael Schmidt.

The journalist while speaking on the Perez situation gave some fascinating insights.

I wouldn't say that Perez can sleep peacefully, I don't know if that's good for him. Christian Horner naturally dreams of getting his protege Ricciardo in there. 

Michael Schmidt via Formel Schmidt podcast

Sergio Perez has been racing for Red Bull since 2021 but has yet to keep up with his world-champion teammate, Max Verstappen properly. Perez has always proven second best and if his current woes don’t end in the upcoming races, he could really be shown the exit door for 2025 in favor of Ricciardo or any of the other Red Bull contracted drivers.

Could Sergio Perez get replaced before the end of 2024?

While the noise in the paddock is about Ricciardo taking over Perez’s seat for 2025, the Ex-McLaren engineer, Marc Priestly has come up with a different take. According to him, Perez could get sacked by Red Bull during the ongoing campaign.

And the talk in the paddock this weekend has been increasingly around the likelihood of Sergio Perez being replaced even before this season is out. He has only just signed a contract extension, but undoubtedly there will be clauses in that contract that are performance-related, which will give Red Bull the opportunity to switch their drivers around.

Marc Priestly via his YouTube channel

Before the 2024 summer break, two races are remaining on the F1 calendar. Red Bull advisor, Helmut Marko has admitted that there will be an evaluation regarding Perez’s performances during that time, and considering this, it will be fascinating to see whether the 34-year-old driver will still be in the infamous Red Bull gear when F1 returns from the break.

In case you missed it:

• Adrian Newey might be Lawrence Stroll’s final move to make Aston Martin a force in F1
• Adrian Newey claims $6.2 million worth RB17 Hypercar’s downforce puts it in ‘aircraft territory’

Stay Updated!

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW