Red Bull Boss Christian Horner has revealed the team will find the “appropriate way forward” with Sergio Perez when they sit down to discuss his Formula 1 future.

Speculation surrounding Perez’s current seat has intensified in the past week, as reports mount that Red Bull have decided not to continue with him next season.

But if he insisted last week that he would remain a Red Bull driver in 2025, Pérez admitted after the race in Abu Dhabi that discussions will take place this week about his situation.

Perez’s disastrous campaign ended with a retirement that saw him finish eighth in the championship, a colossal 285 points behind teammate Max Verstappen.

“Well, look, I mean, obviously those discussions will be between Checo and the team,” Horner told media outlets including Motorsport Week.

“We’re going to sit down with him and think about the season and obviously the issues that happened, and collectively figure out what the right path forward is.

“I mean, Checo has been a great servant to this team.

“Let’s go back to this race in 2021, to the contribution he made, to the ’22 and ’23 Manufacturers’ World Championships, five race wins, second in last year’s Drivers’ Championship.

“You know, he did a lot for this team. And we’re going to sit down and think about this season and how we move forward.

Horner reiterated that Red Bull would review Perez’s position before considering possible alternatives amid rumors that Liam Lawson would lead the race to replace him.

“There is no immediate urgency,” he added when asked about a possible timetable. “We have all the permutations in-house.

“So I think the first thing is to sit down with Checo and have that conversation now that the season is over.”

Asked if there was a scenario in which Perez would continue alongside Verstappen in 2025, Horner replied: “He is still our driver.

“So it would be wrong for me to speculate on what next year might look like until he and I have sat down and talked about this year and thought about it as a team.”

Red Bull wants both drivers to perform well in 2025

Perez’s considerable deficit compared to his teammate resigned Red Bull to third place in the standings. Manufacturers’ Championshipalthough Verstappen won the title with 63 points.

With 2025 shaping up to be an even closer battle, Horner stressed that Red Bull needs to have two drivers producing huge points every weekend.

“Look, I think you can see that it is crucial to have two drivers who score regularly in the constructors’ championship,” he admitted.

“Ferrari will be strong with its line-up next year. McLaren has a strong line-up. Mercedes will have an inexperienced driver in one of its seats (with Kimi Antonelli).

“And so, you know, for our team, it’s very important that both of our drivers are up to par, and that there’s no significant gap.”

Red Bull is working to improve the car’s autonomy

Perez argued that the tribulations Red Bull endured with its 2024 car meant he was not solely responsible for Red Bull failing to retain the constructors’ title..

But despite acknowledging the team’s issues with the RB20, Horner pointed out that Verstappen managed to secure nine wins compared to Perez’s zero.

“Obviously, the reference is always your teammates,” he explained.

“And the car won nine races with Max behind the wheel. There were 10 poles. There were, I forget how many podiums, but a significant number of podiums. And the fastest laps.

“It’s far from the simplest car. And Max is the hardest teammate to have in the world.

“So it’s a very difficult job to sit next to Max to get the most out of the car.

“And of course, (the) RB20 was one of the most difficult cars we have produced.

“Its operational window for peak performance has been very, very narrow, and that’s something we will work to expand next year.”

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