Christian Horner claims Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat is “his to lose” for 2025

Christian Horner made it clear that Sergio Perez would need to fight for race wins in 2024.

Christian Horner claims Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat is “his to lose” for 2025

Christian Horner and Sergio Perez (image via IMAGO)

Sergio Perez had a disappointing 2023 F1 season. The Mexican driver had high ambitions for his third year at Milton Keynes alongside Max Verstappen. However, the 33-year-old failed to match the Dutch driver with only two race victories. Now, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has made it clear that Checo might lose his drive if he doesn’t improve next season.

Horner claimed that Sergio Perez performed the best when the 33-year-old was put under the pressure. This had been the case for the Mexican driver throughout his tenure at Red Bull. Checo’s current contract runs out at the end of 2024. Christian Horner reaffirmed that Perez would need to work to get an extension for 2025.

Checo works best when he’s under pressure, that’s what I’ve seen with him in his time with us.
Christian Horner told Sky Sports F1

The Red Bull team boss made it clear that there is no guarantee over Checo’s place for 2025. Horner highlighted the need for the Mexican driver to deliver decent results at all races next season including race victories. The Briton reckoned that Perez was aware of the team’s expectations and would be looking to get the best results possible.

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You know, he’s in the seat, it’s his seat to lose and I think there’s nothing preset for 2025, and we need him firing on all cylinders at 24 races next year to be scooping up the points, delivering race wins... He’s aware of that, he knows he needs to deliver.

Sergio Perez has grand ambitions for 2024

Despite losing out to Max Verstappen by a massive margin in 2023, Sergio Perez remains adamant about fighting for the title next season. The Mexican driver understood that he must deliver satisfactory results in a bid to secure his seat and career at Milton Keynes. Although, Checo failed to make substantial gains in 2023.

Sergio Perez and George Russell.
Sergio Perez and George Russell. (image via IMAGO)

Daniel Ricciardo is rumored to be in the running for Perez’s seat in 2025 after the Australian was brought back to AlphaTauri mid-way through 2023. Moreover, several drivers have expressed their interest in partnering with Max Verstappen at the most dominant team on the F1 grid. Subsequently, Sergio Perez needs to showcase his pace against Verstappen next season.

Red Bull enjoyed a big advantage over the competition in 2023. This allowed the team to stay relatively unaffected by Perez’s poor form this season. However, things could change in the upcoming season as rivals try to bridge the gap with the Austrian team. As such, pressure would be on the Mexican driver to perform in 2024.

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