An incredible behind-the-scenes story has emerged from the paddock: Sergio Perez was fired by Red Bull, but Liberty Media stopped everything.
A sensational revelation, with consequences likely to unfold during the summer break. According to information reported by F1-Insider.com, Red Bull had decided to fire Sergio Perez with immediate effect after the Belgian Grand Prix. The news, confirmed by internal sources, caused an uproar in the paddock: Christian Horner and Helmut Marko had immediately informed Max Verstappen’s family that the world champion would have a new teammate starting from the next race in Zandvoort (his home race, at risk on the calendar), after the summer break.
Red Bull’s drastic decision faced an obstacle in Liberty Media, the organization that manages Formula 1. The company that owns the Circus requested the Milton Keynes team to keep Perez until the end of the season to avoid a negative impact on ticket sales for the Mexican Grand Prix, the home race of the Mexican driver.
Perez’s immediate departure would likely have caused a significant decline in interest and sales for the event, damaging the image of F1 in the country. It is well known that despite Checo’s disappointing performances, Mexican fans are always present in large numbers in the stands.
Perez, 2025 at Risk?
Despite the temporary confirmation, Sergio Perez’s future with Red Bull remains highly uncertain. Helmut Marko stated that “the cards will be reshuffled” for the 2025 season, hinting that Perez may face significant challenges from now until the end of the championship and that his position for the following year is seriously at risk, especially with pressure from Tsunoda, Ricciardo, and Liam Lawson.
