Perez retires early in likely Red Bull bow

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Sergio Pérez retired on the second lap of what looks likely to be his final race for Red Bull at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Sources have told ESPN that Perez is set to leave Red Bull after this race, with the team committed to moving on from the Mexican driver.

Perez, who had qualified 10th, collided with Valtteri Bottas at the chicane while fighting for position on the final lap.

His car ground to a halt the following lap, marking an end to his race.

Sources have told ESPN that Red Bull boss Christian Horner met with Perez’s agent Julian Jakobi multiple times this week in the Yas Marina paddock to discuss an amicable split.

Sources have indicated Red Bull is willing to move Perez away from its race team and into a wider ambassadorial role with the team without a significant change to his current salary, believed to be in the region of $8 million a year.

That would be a significant concession to make for a role that would essentially include a handful of show runs around the world and marketing appearances for the company.

The timeline on the decision is less clear.

Red Bull had hoped young driver Isack Hadjar would have made the optics of the decision a little easier by winning the Formula 2 championship on Sunday, but he lost out to Sauber-bound Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto.

Sources have indicated to ESPN that Liam Lawson, who returned to RB as Daniel Ricciardo‘s replacement at the U.S. Grand Prix, has been lined up to replace Perez at the senior team, but making sense of Red Bull’s thinking around drivers has been complicated all season long.

Hadjar, who will test for RB at the post-season test in Yas Marina next week, would then be moved into Lawson’s spot.

A promotion for Lawson would leave Yuki Tsunoda at RB for a fifth consecutive season, a decision which would raise questions about his long-term future with the company’s racing arm beyond 2025.