Formula 1: Red Bull could be left needing two new drivers for 2025

Red Bull have had a stranglehold on Formula 1 for the past three years, but in a turbulent season that has exposed the cracks within the team’s hierarchy, there’s a scenario that could see both of their drivers leaving for new pastures at the end of the 2024 season.

Max Verstappen is contracted with the team through 2028, but the team’s number two driver, Sergio Perez, is out of contract at the end of the season.

We’ve already heard about how the division within the Red Bull Racing organization could potentially push Verstappen to an early exit, with Mercedes already courting the Dutch three-time world champion.

But the team could also potentially lose Perez, with a remarkable situation playing out in which, rather than the team deciding whether or not to keep the Mexican star, Perez himself is the one who will ultimately decide his future.

Given the instability around the team in the light of their recent investigation into team principal Christian Horner for alleged inappropriate conduct, an investigation that cleared him of any wrongdoing, securing the services of Perez would seem to be a solid continuity move for the team. But Perez himself was noticeably cagey when asked about his racing future.

"Complications"

Talking to Sky Sports F1 about whether he wants to continue with Red Bull in 2025 and beyond, Perez said, “I think it’s really early to say that. I want to wait a few races to see how everything goes.

“It’s obviously not easy or straightforward. It has some complications that we’ve seen in the past. We’ve seen great drivers, they don’t even survive six months or a year and they’ve been great drivers, but it’s a unique team in that regard.”

Perez hasn’t had to face the same questions about the team’s recent issues that Verstappen has endured. But given the instability around the team, and the very public dress rehearsal happening at Red Bull’s sister RB team, where Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are both eyeing Perez’s seat for 2025, it perhaps wouldn’t be a surprise if “Checo” looked to head into next season with a new team, especially if the chance to be a number one driver arose.

And if the internal power struggle at Red Bull eventually leads to Verstappen heading out the door, Horner, if he remains, could find himself needing to find two new drivers for 2025. 

A Formula 1 grid with Verstappen and Perez racing in new colors, while Red Bull run a completely new driver lineup, would certainly freshen things up for 2025.