Perez declares that the collision with Bottas in Abu Dhabi “sums it all up”
Sergio Perez experienced a race to forget during the season finale in Abu Dhabi, forced to retire prematurely, which led him to lamenting a "very difficult year" that has cast doubt on his future with Red Bull.
The Mexican driver had signed a contract extension in June to stay with the Milton Keynes team until 2026, but a series of disappointing results has put his place on the grid in jeopardy. While his teammate Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive world title, Sergio Perez finished the season with a 285-point deficit compared to him, without any top 5 finishes since the Miami Grand Prix at the beginning of May.
Desperately seeking to reverse the trend, Perez started the last race of the year from 10th place on the grid at the Yas Marina circuit, but his race quickly ended after a contact with Valtteri Bottas’s Sauber. Perez lost control, found himself immobilized on the track, causing a virtual safety car before having to retire for the second consecutive time, leaving Verstappen alone to bring points for Red Bull.
« It has been so difficult all year »,” said the 34-year-old driver when asked about his opinion on the collision. « That really sums it up. Unfortunately, Bottas hit me. It was very complicated, what happened there. From there, we can only look forward. It’s really a very, very difficult year. »
Speculations are circulating that the team could promote one of its Racing Bulls program drivers, Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson, for the next season, but Christian Horner assured this week that a decision will only be made after long internal discussions.
Now that the season is over, these debates should take place quickly, especially since Red Bull has missed the opportunity to win the constructors’ title and had to settle for third place, its worst ranking since 2019. He added: « I think we know how difficult this year has been, so it’s just about discussing what’s best for everyone in the future. We’ll see what happens. »
For the moment, that’s all I know. I have a contract to drive next year, so we will have to reach an agreement, I hope. We will see what the team wants to do.
