On Tuesday, December 17th, both Canal + and Sky Sports Germany reported that Sergio Perez will be sacked and Liam Lawson will take his seat. An official announcement from the team is set to come by the end of the week, said Canal + and Sky Sports Germany.

Bear Sports News reached out to Red Bull Racing and are still awaiting an official response before we confirm if any of this news is true.

UPDATE: Red Bull Racing has decided to release Sergio Perez. It was confirmed through an X post by the team.

Sergio Perez also released a statement regarding the matter.

According to Sportrac.com, Sergio Perez signed a multi-year contract for 11m to race in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. This contract was signed earlier in the year and confirmed by F1’s X account, with a post that you can find below. As well as Formula 1’s story on his signing.

Sergio Perez confirmed to remain at Red Bull Racing

The six-time race winner has agreed to a 2-year contract extension at the Milton Keynes outfit, which will see him stay until at least 2026#F1 pic.twitter.com/BEuKpON9eZ

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 4, 2024

This decision unfortunately doesn’t come as a surprise as Sergio Perez finished 8th in the drivers standings, with only 4 podium finishes and 1 DHL fastest lap. Perez was only able to score 49 points since the seventh race of the season in Imola. This was also the first time since 2022 that Red Bull has lost the constructors championship.

This move comes days after Christian Horner said publicly that either Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda would take over Sergio Perez seat.

“I think Yuki’s done a good job, so in the event that anything were decided with Checo they would be the candidates we would look towards.”

-Horner on Yuki’s chances in the seat.

“I think Liam, in challenging circumstances, has done a very good job. If you analyse what he’s done in the time that he’s had and the race pace he’s had, I think he’s done a good job.

-Horner on Lawson’s performance despite the challenge of taking over the car at the US GP

Yuki Tsunoda was able to finish 12th in the driver standings this season with 30 points scored in total, with his best finish being seventh (three times). Since his debut, Tsunoda has definitely turned himself around from being the short-tempered guy behind the wheel, to now being a top contender for the second Red Bull seat.

In my opinion, he’s done everything he needs to do to get this seat. As mentioned, his temper over the years has gotten tremendously better, and his race pace as the seasons have gone by, has gotten far better. Tsunoda has been able to impress fans with multiple fans on X saying that he should be the top contender for the seat.

Time will only tell for Yuki, as he’s been on the Red Bull Junior team since 2021, will 2025 finally be the year that Tsunoda gets his much-deserved promotion?

Liam Lawson also has a good case to make for the second Red Bull seat. Lawson came in to replace Daniel Ricciardo in COTA and was able to turn his starting position of 15th, to a points paying finish ending the day in 9th.

Lawson was also able to secure points after qualifying fifth at the Brazil GP. Bringing home a total of four points in a very shortened season.

Horner praised Lawson on how he was able to come into that situation and secure points in a car he hadn’t driven all year.

Horner will have a very tough decision to make, does he promote Tsunoda to the second Red Bull seat, potentially losing Lawson to another team. Or vice versa, if Horner signs Lawson and Tsunoda decides to walk at the end of the 2025 season?

I really wish that Perez had the chance to stay in that second Red Bull seat and prove to everyone why he was signed there in the first place. The Sergio Perez I know drove from last to first in 2020. The incredible blocking that gave him the nickname ‘The Mexican Minister of Defense’.