Christian Horner has insisted Sergio Perez is “sufficiently old and clever sufficient to know what the state of affairs is” as Purple Bull appears to be like set to finish the partnership after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Mexican will end solely eighth within the drivers’ standings regardless of team-mate Max Verstappen successful his fourth title, with Perez’s shortcomings largely in charge for the crew’s lack of ability to maintain McLaren and Ferrari at bay.
It’s understood that Purple Bull’s shareholders will meet on the Monday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to agency up the crew’s driver plans for 2025.
And whereas the crew is publicly saying little about Perez’s future, it’s understood that the plan is for it to exchange the Mexican subsequent yr with one of many present RB duo.
What nonetheless must be sorted out although is the phrases of their partnership ending, with him having initially signed a contract – albeit with break clauses – into subsequent yr.
When it comes to potential replacements, Liam Lawson stays favorite to be given the nod, however Yuki Tsunoda might but get himself within the body if he impresses in a Purple Bull check he has in Abu Dhabi on the Tuesday after the season finale.
Chatting with ViaPlay on Sunday, Purple Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko mentioned issues will turn out to be clear subsequent week.
“There’s a assembly Monday after Abu Dhabi,” he mentioned. “All the foremost persons are there, all the shareholders, and there a choice can be carried out.
“We all the time – or more often than not – introduced our personal drivers via the Purple Bull programme and I feel it is a philosophical resolution: can we stick with that? And what I received from the shareholders is will probably be on this path.”
After quite a few underwhelming qualifying outcomes, the Qatar Grand Prix weekend once more proved difficult for Perez, failing to succeed in SQ2 on Friday earlier than blowing his pitlane begin when failing to acknowledge the inexperienced mild within the dash race.
Having run within the factors within the grand prix, Perez spun behind the security automotive earlier than his automotive floor to a halt, ending his day prematurely.
On the difficulty that noticed his race end, Horner defined: “We’re simply investigating the precise failure but it surely appears to be like like, clearly he is spun the automotive and as he dropped the clutch, the clutch had an excessive amount of temperature undergo it. So sure, a kind of issues. However extra to return after we have stripped the automotive.”
Pointing to his errors throughout the weekend, Horner added: “We despatched him to the tip of the pit lane seven minutes forward of Colapinto for a purpose.
“However look, Checo’s contributed an enormous quantity to this crew within the 4 years that he is been right here. The world championship that Max achieved in ’21, the constructors’ world championships in ’22 and ’23 and clearly this yr has been notably laborious.
Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing RB20
Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs
“He is gained 5 Grand Prix’ for us and he is had some excellent performances in races like Singapore, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, to call a number of. So all people holds Checo within the highest of regard and respect.
“However clearly, the state of affairs that we’re in is as painful for him as it’s for the crew.”
With it trying more and more seemingly that Purple Bull will break its partnership with Perez on the finish of the season following this weekend’s finale at Yas Marina, Horner added: “Checo has had a really powerful yr and clearly the factors, the tables are what they’re.
“We’re very a lot centered on actually supporting him to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. It isn’t an pleasing state of affairs for Checo being on this place with hypothesis each week. He is sufficiently old and clever sufficient to know what the state of affairs is and let’s have a look at the place we’re after Abu Dhabi.”
Images from Qatar GP Race
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