Christian Horner hinted that Sergio Perez's Red Bull future is up to the driver himself amid rumours he will lose his seat after this weekend's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Perez has been under pressure for most of this season after scoring just 152 of Red Bull's 581 points and rarely getting near team-mate Max Verstappen, despite starting strong.
He finished on the podium in four of the first five races of the campaign, netting him a two-year contract extension in June.
However, the Mexican endured another tough weekend in Qatar, failing to finish the race, which meant that Red Bull are now officially out of the hunt for the constructor's title.
Perez has now retired from 37 races, four of which have been this year. Only in 2012 (six) has he had more in one year in the competition (also four in 2014).
Despite having a drive on paper for the 2025 season, Horner conceded to Sky Sports F1 that his lack of results of late have cost the team.
"Checo has been a wonderful driver for us. Certainly, in 2021, 2022, 2023, he contributed to Max's championship in 2021 and the constructors' in 2022 and 2023," Horner said.
"Most of all, he's a great guy. He's not enjoying the situation he's in at the moment. He knows the pressure of this business.
"We are going to give him all the support we can all the way to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. What he decides to do, that will be his decision at the end of the day.
"He's old enough and wise enough to come to his own conclusions. There's still a race to go."
RB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson are the two leading candidates to replace Perez at Red Bull for 2025.
Tsunoda will drive the main Red Bull car for the first time in his career at the post-season Abu Dhabi Test next Tuesday.
The Japanese driver has also got the better of Lawson in their five events as team-mates at RB, following Daniel Ricciardo's departure in September.
FIA stands by Lando Norris penalty at Qatar GP
The FIA is standing by its decision to penalise McLaren driver Lando Norris at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Norris was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to lift the throttle while double yellow flags were being waved.
The 25-year-old dropped from second to last among the remaining drivers, with the decision having a big impact in the Constructors' Championship battle.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the penalty as "brutal" in an interview with Sky Sports and accused officials of lacking consistency.
Lando Norris collected what could prove to be a crucial bonus point in his and McLaren's quest for constructors' glory
Join @LandoNorris as he scoops the DHL Fastest Lap in Qatar! Full 2024 leaderboard https://t.co/sOAsD9IxzG#F1 #MomentsThatDeliver @DHL_Motorsports pic.twitter.com/k5ryP7jgCk
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 2, 2024
However, in a statement released on Monday, F1's governing body explained why the decision was the correct one.
"The penalty was in accordance with the penalty guidelines circulated to the teams on 19 February 2024," part of the statement read.
"A double yellow flag infringement is considered a serious compromise of safety, which is why such offences carry such a severe penalty."
The FIA went on to state that the specific scenario would be reviewed and a new process may be established down the line.
McLaren's lead over Ferrari has been cut to 21 points heading into the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
Verstappen has "lost all respect" for Russell after Qatar GP penalty
Max Verstappen has "lost all respect" for George Russell after the Mercedes driver's role in demoting the four-time world champion from pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Russell was promoted to pole, but it was Verstappen who crossed the finish line first, joined by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and McLaren's Oscar Piastri on the podium.
Verstappen was slapped with a rare one-place grid penalty for driving unnecessarily slowly and impeding Russell in qualifying, although the stewards, after a hearing attended by both drivers, said there were mitigating circumstances as neither driver was on a flying lap.
"I was quite surprised, when sitting there in the stewards' room, what was all going on," Verstappen told Sky Sports after winning Sunday's race.
"It was honestly very disappointing, because I think all of us here, we respect each other a lot.
"I've been in that meeting room many times in my life and my career with people that I've raced. And I've never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard. For me, I lost all respect.
"I couldn't believe that I got [the penalty]. But in a way, I was also not surprised anymore in the world that I live in.
"I'm not happy with it, but at one point or another you have to just turn the page.
"It wasn't very enjoyable to see that happen because I think that's the first time that in a slow lap someone has been penalised.
"Actually, I just tried to be nice, so maybe I shouldn't be nice. I didn't want to screw anyone over to prepare their lap. And by doing that, being nice, basically you get a penalty."
Verstappen's win in Qatar saw him become only the third driver in Formula One history to break the 3,000 points barrier, joining Lewis Hamilton (4,847.50) and Sebastian Vettel (3,098) in achieving the feat.
Meanwhile, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said that the 27-year-old driver used the incident as a fuel to breeze to a ninth victory of the season.
"He was annoyed with George, and the way things played out in front of the stewards. And he carried that motivation into the race," Horner said.
"It was clearly evident that he was super-motivated going into this race.
"I think you could sense that George kind of sensed that as well. I think there was a little bit of a moment between the two of them on the trailer as they went around the circuit, that Max felt that things just went a bit too far."
The 2024 F1 season will conclude this weekend with the Abu Dhabi GP, with McLaren and Ferrari still battling for the Constructors' Championship.
Norris says he let McLaren down after costly penalty in Qatar GP
Lando Norris said that he "let down" McLaren after a 10-second stop-and-go penalty saw him finish in 10th place at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The British driver was in a fight with newly-crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen for the race lead before the penalty, for ignoring double-waved yellow flags, dropped him to the back of the field.
Norris recovered places in the last laps to finish just inside the top 10, but the result meant that McLaren's bid to win the Constructors' Championship will now go down to the wire in the final race of 2024 in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I’ve done wrong at the minute. Apparently, I didn’t slow under the yellow. I’m not an idiot – if I knew there was a yellow I would have slowed down," Norris told Sky Sports after the race.
“I don’t know if I’ve missed it or just been dumb. But, yeah, the rule is if you don’t slow down under a yellow, that’s the penalty, so it’s a fair penalty.”
While Verstappen took the top step on the podium, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished second, with Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri in third. Ferrari, in a two-way fight with McLaren for the title, also had Carlos Sainz finishing in sixth place.
It meant that McLaren will head to Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead over Ferrari as they set their sights on a first constructors’ title since 1998.
“The team gave me a great car, so I’m thankful to the team,” 25-year-old Norris said.
“Disappointed that I couldn’t have done a worse job than I did and not give them the points they deserve, so I’ve made the job of the team much harder than it needs to be. The team are doing a great job but I’ve let them down.”
Norris, who had challenged Verstappen (429 points) for the world championship before the Dutchman secured the title in Las Vegas, now has 349 points in his bag - only eight more than Leclerc in third, with the duo set to battle for the individual and team honours in the season finale.
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