According to Horner, Perez decided to leave Red Bull on his own

Despite a contract extension signed at the start of the season and lasting until the end of 2026, Sergio Pérez has therefore left Red Bull, where he will be replaced by Liam Lawson for next season. While for most observers, the decision comes from the Austrian team, which would punish the very poor season of Perez, only eighth in a championship won by his teammate Max Verstappen, team boss Christian Horner claimed otherwise in an interview with Sky Sports. F1.

« He finished second in the World Drivers' Championship last year and has won five Grands Prix driving our cars. But he reflected after the season and we talked last week about next steps, and he decided to take a step back. We're sad to see him leave the team, but obviously it's time for him to spend time with his young family and think about what he wants to do in the future."

A future that will therefore not pass through the teams belonging to the energy drink giant, since the young Frenchman Isack Hadjar will access Formula 1 via this game of musical chairs, by taking the place that was promised to Lawson at Racing Bulls. Joining the team serving as a preparatory stage for young drivers in the Red Bull sector is not an option that has been discussed between the two parties, according to Horner.

« I think that at the stage Checo is at in his career, that would not have been an option. For him, it's not something we discussed, we didn't even talk about it. He made his decision and we fully support it.” A decision that Horner does not necessarily consider final, as he was able to indicate on the talkSPORT podcast: "I wouldn't be surprised if Cadillac opts for experience by recruiting Sergio (for 2026. Editor's note), if he wants to extend his career in Formula 1."

Asked about the reasons that caused the Mexican driver to fall down the hierarchy from the Miami Grand Prix, the British boss believes that the increasingly "sharp" side of the RB20 could explain this decline, with Perez unable to understand exactly what his car needed, from a driving point of view but also specific settings during each race weekend.

« I think that's the problem, I think he wasn't really sure. Of course the car got narrower in its performance window and he struggled with that compared to Max. But obviously with such a points gap between the two drivers, he was struggling with that, and it put more pressure on him, and the harder you try, the slower you are, and it became almost a vicious circle for him."

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