What ‘everyone’ at Red Bull is now privately thinking about Sergio Perez retiring

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Sergio Perez tried to decisively quash any retirement rumours in the long break between the Singapore and US Grands Prix. But ahead of his home race in Mexico, they continue to linger.

Perez ignored his social media training in his response, no doubt to the delight of his fans. He posted a clip from 2013 blockbuster ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ where the protagonist tells his colleagues ‘I’m not leaving’.

But that decision may be taken out of his hands. Red Bull dropped Daniel Ricciardo so they could evaluate Liam Lawson at junior team RB, and his excellent start in Austin has increased the pressure significantly.

Lawson finished ninth, immediately outperforming Yuki Tsunoda, was four times closer to Perez than Perez was to Max Verstappen. The 34-year-old finished seventh but lost out to Mercedes’ George Russell, who started from the pit lane.

F1 journalist Peter Windsor said during the weekend that ‘it’s beginning to look like’ Perez will announce his retirement in Mexico, giving the adoring crowd a chance to say goodbye. Publicly, he’s maintained that he’s under contract for 2025 after signing a new deal in June, and won’t be going anywhere.

But Perez breached the terms of his deal by falling more than 100 points behind Verstappen before the summer break. Retirement could solve a messy situation for Red Bull, and allow the driver to go out ostensibly on his own terms.

Why ‘everyone’ at Red Bull is ‘really praying’ for Sergio Perez to quit

According to Auto Motor und Sport’s Michael Schmidt, the Red Bull team are united in wanting Perez to ‘step down’. They’re ‘really praying’ for that outcome.

That would allow them to ‘fill the place’, either with Tsunoda or more likely Lawson. It would be an ‘elegant solution’ that protects the image of both parties.

However, it remains unlikely that Perez obliges. He may still be confident that he can improve enough to keep his drive.

Schmidt told colleague Tobi Gruener: “Someone at Red Bull said it would be the most elegant solution. But unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it at the moment. At Red Bull everyone is really praying that Perez will step down so that they can fill the place. They have now really lost faith in the Mexican.”

Sergio Perez’s father has just dropped a big hint about his Formula 1 future

The noises coming out of the Perez camp are still bullish. Liberty Media and Carlos Slim helped Perez keep his seat in the summer, so he clearly has some powerful allies.

However, Ricciardo’s unconvincing performances also came to his aid. Tom Clarkson is ‘convinced’ Red Bull will promote Lawson if he can maintain his US GP level until the end of the season, and he should only grow more comfortable in the car.

If he loses his seat, then Mexican tycoon Slim could back Franco Colapinto instead. Colapinto is emerging as a target for the Red Bull programme, with Williams unable to offer him a seat for 2025.

Perez’s father dropped a big hint about his future this week. He remains confident that his son can become a world champion, something that only seems remotely feasible if he stays in his current seat.