Red Bull fire Sergio Perez, sister team driver set to partner Max Verstappen in 2025: Reports

In a major shake-up, Sergio Perez will reportedly be replaced by Liam Lawson for the 2025 F1 season, according to reports. Sky Sport Formel 1 claimed that Red Bull Racing will confirm their driver lineup for the upcoming season shortly.

The Mexican driver's fate was hanging in the balance after he had a subpar season in 2024. His performance directly impacted Red Bull's constructors' title defeat as McLaren beat them to clinch their first championship since 1998.

While the energy drink-based outfit signed a two-year extension with Perez mid-season, the move backfired as Checo's performance dipped significantly in the second half of the season. Moreover, after Red Bull went down in the constructors race, speculations around his future with the team gained momentum.

Senior advisor Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner confirmed that Sergio Perez's future will be decided at a stakeholders' meeting.

However, Sky Sport Formel 1 has dropped a massive claim of Red Bull sacking Checo. According to the social media post shared on Tuesday, December 17, VCARB driver Liam Lawson has been signed up to become Max Verstappen's new teammate for the 2025 F1 season.

Lawson, the New Zealander, replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the final six races of the 2024 season. He beat Sergio Perez in a VCARB on multiple occasions and posed a tough fight to his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Impressed by his performance, attitude, and confidence, Red Bull is likely to confirm his promotion.

Meanwhile, the team's engine partner, Honda, apparently pushed Tsunoda's candidature for a promotion as well, taking his seniority and experience into consideration.

Moreover, at Honda's request, the Japanese driver was allowed to participate in a post-season test run in Abu Dhabi. However, it is rumored that Christian Horner and co. have reportedly finalized Lawson for the second Red Bull seat.

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Helmut Marko reacts to speculations around Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko (Image Source: Getty)

Red Bull's senior advisor, Helmut Marko hinted that a verdict on Sergio Perez's future will be revealed in the upcoming few days. In a column with Speedweek, Marko said that Red Bull's drivers' lineup will be released this week, probably before Christmas break. He noted that speculations around buyout fees are untrue (via crash.net)

"We will be announcing news on the driver pairing for next year in the next few days. There’s a lot of speculation about this, including rumours about possible transfer fees, which are complete nonsense," said Marko.

Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg had earlier suggested a theory where he claimed that Sergio Perez had reportedly agreed to exit Red Bull if the team paid him $16 million as buyout fees.

The Mexican driver has a two-year extension contract in hand that he signed around mid-season. However, Marko claimed that those reports are false and a clear picture will be unveiled soon.