Perez expects decision on Red Bull future to be made 'within next month'

Sergio Perez expects his Red Bull and F1 future to be clarified within the next month, with the Mexican out of contract next year.

The Mexican has been in this exact position before – originally signing a one-year deal with Red Bull for 2021, so spending that season earning the right to extend his contract. He's also been in the even worse position of losing his drive with Racing Point late on in 2020 and not knowing if he'd have a seat for the next season – but given how well he has performed in 2024 so far, it’s easy to see why Perez is cutting a relaxed figure when asked about his future.

READ MORE: ‘Relieved’ Tsunoda hails 'insane' RB pit stop as he nets a point on home soil

Perez signed a two-year contract with the Milton Keynes team back in 2022, but as is always the case in Formula 1, there were performance clauses and get outs for both sides.

As it was, Red Bull retained the Mexican for 2024 despite a difficult campaign last season, with qualifying often Perez’s Achilles’ heel. But up against the juggernaut that was Max Verstappen in the RB19, Perez still secured P2 in the championship – the first time Red Bull had finished 1-2 in the drivers’.

With Daniel Ricciardo back in the Red Bull family down at RB and making no secret of his ambition to finish his career in a Red Bull, Liam Lawson waiting in the wings and a drivers’ market that has Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso as free agents for 2025, there has been plenty of chatter about potential moves and Perez’s future at Red Bull in particular of late.

This year the Mexican has let his performances do the talking and now has three second-place finishes from the opening four races to go with a fifth-place from Melbourne, and is back up to P2 in the drivers’ championship. And Perez says it won’t be long before it is revealed what his future holds.

READ MORE: Verstappen overjoyed by victory comeback at Suzuka as he says race ‘couldn’t have been better’

“I am pretty relaxed about it,” he told Sky Sports F1 after the race in Japan. “My main focus is in F1 and whatever comes next, I’m really pleased with what I’ve done in the sport so far.

“I believe it will be a matter of time, obviously the driver market is moving and the next few weeks are going to be a lot of movement for sure, so I expect within a month to really know what I’m doing next year.”

Often the driver market heats up in the first half of the season before culminating in announcements around the summer break in August. But Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari for 2025 ignited the market at a much earlier stage this year, and not only freed up a coveted seat at Mercedes but also unleashed an in-form Sainz into the equation.

READ MORE: Perez hails ‘good momentum’ after P2 in Japan amid turnaround from ‘worst weekend’ at Suzuka last year

Sainz is one of a number of drivers who could conceivably end up at Red Bull, the Spaniard starting his F1 career alongside Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso as part of the Red Bull family. The Spaniard has admitted his team are talking to pretty much everyone in the paddock as he seeks to secure a drive for 2025.

But for now, the Red Bull seat is “Perez’s to lose” according to team boss Christian Horner, with Perez very much performing like a driver who wants to stay in Formula 1 next year.