Red Bull has dropped Sergio Perez from its Formula 1 team after months of poor results on the international open-wheel circuit.
Perez has not won a race since April 2023, even as his teammate Max Verstappen has dominated F1, and the 34-year-old Mexican driver was rarely competitive this season.
Red Bull announced the move Wednesday, terminating Perez’s contract two years early, and said a replacement will be announced “in due course.”
Nicknamed “Checo,” Perez started the 2024 season with four podium finishes in the first five races, but he wasn’t in the top three since. His last grand prix finish higher than sixth was in May. Verstappen won nine races and his fourth consecutive series title this year.
The last time there was such a gulf in results between an F1 champion and the team’s other driver was in 1994, when Verstappen’s father Jos was dropped before the end of the season as Michael Schumacher won the title with Benetton.