Carlos Sainz’s emotional farewell to dear ‘friend’ Sergio Perez after he lost his Red Bull seat

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Sergio Perez may have competed in his last Formula 1 race after Red Bull announced his departure on Wednesday. With no seats available elsewhere, he won’t feature on the 2025 grid.

RB officially still have a vacancy next to Yuki Tsunoda – Liam Lawson has been confirmed as Perez’s replacement – but that’s expected to go to Isack Hadjar. The other eight teams all finalised their line-ups long ago.

It’s not out of the question that he could take an involuntary sabbatical and return in 2026. In theory, F1’s newest team Cadillac could offer Perez a route back into F1.

As well as being one of the most marketable athletes in North America, he’s hugely experienced at the pinnacle of motorsport. Only seven drivers have started more races.

But the problem for Perez is that the end of his time at Red Bull has damaged his stock. The Milton Keynes outfit have effectively paid him not to race.

And that means much of his stellar work in F1’s midfield will be forgotten. Many in the paddock will instead remember a driver who unravelled under the pressure of racing for Red Bull.

Carlos Sainz says ‘it has been a pleasure’ to race against Sergio Perez

Carlos Sainz has been racing against Perez since 2015, when he made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso. He also has experience of partnering Max Verstappen, albeit at the beginning of his career.

Red Bull opted not to sign Sainz this year as Perez approached the end of his contract. The Spaniard will race for Williams instead.

Sainz and Perez dramatically collided at the end of the Azerbaijan GP, denying Perez what could have been his first podium since China. But the Spanish speakers still appear to have a close relationship.

Writing on his Instagram story in his native language, Sainz sent his best wishes to Perez. He expects them to stay in contact even though they won’t be sharing the same paddock next year.

“It has been a pleasure to share so many moments with you during these years, Sergio,” he wrote. “I wish you all the best in this new stage and in what is to come. See you soon my friend.”

What Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen said to Sergio Perez after Red Bull exit announcement

Sainz isn’t the only F1 driver to send a heartfelt message. Teammate Max Verstappen reflected on his ‘amazing’ moments with Perez.

The 34-year-old ably supported Verstappen in each of his four title-winning seasons, if not through results through feedback in engineering meetings and unwavering adherence to team orders. That selfless approach has won him many admirers within F1.

His relationship with Esteban Ocon during their spell at Racing Point was more fractious. But Ocon said he ‘learned a lot’ from Perez.

The former McLaren driver becomes the sixth driver to lose his seat in 2024. Logan Sargeant, Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Kevin Magnussen have also dropped out of F1.