Sergio Perez is having quite a challenging season. The Red Bull Racing driver hasn’t been in the best form this year, having struggled to get the most out of his RB20 while attempting to defend his team’s Constructors Championship. The trend continued in Las Vegas, as ‘Checo’ suffered his sixth Q1 exit during qualifying and finished the race in 10th place. With his future in Formula 1 uncertain, what is the 34-year-old’s next career move, should he lose his seat?

The Mexican driver has already dismissed speculation about competing in Roger Penske’s IndyCar Series. Does the six-time Grand Prix winner still have a future in open-wheel racing? Time will tell.

Sergio Perez’s inconsistency could cost Red Bull Racing

Time is running out for Sergio Perez. With just two races remaining before the season ends, the Red Bull Racing driver is walking on thin ice, having collected just 35 points in his last 10 races. As things stand, the Mexican driver is eighth in the drivers’ standings, while his teammate Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive championship trophy. Given the gulf between the two racers, Perez is fighting for his future in Formula 1, even though he was handed a two-year contract extension in June this year.

Sergio Perez’s struggles have led to McLaren and Scuderia Ferrari going past Red Bull Racing for the Constructors Championship. The reigning title holders are expected to finish the season in third place, which will be considered a failure, given the success they have enjoyed in recent years. Such has been the Mexican’s decline that he hasn’t made it to the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April, failing to register a single top-five finish in the last 15 races.

The significant performance dip hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Red Bull camp, with team principal Christian Horner saying, “He’s (Sergio Perez) had a really tough run of form over recent weeks and months. From a constructors’ point of view, we desperately need both cars right up there working as a pair, which we haven’t had.” With the pressure piling on the 34-year-old, the team’s junior lineup of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have been touted as potential replacements, should Red Bull Racing part ways with Perez ahead of the 2025 season.

Even though Helmut Marko has claimed that no decision on Perez’s future will be taken until after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 8th, there is a feeling of desperation and urgency at Red Bull Racing. Highlighting the main cause of concern, the Mexican driver said, “I haven’t been able to extract 100 percent out of my car because of the difficulties I’ve had in the last few months with it, and I think that’s the main issue.” When Sergio Perez was asked if he was confident about his future with the team, the driver gave a cryptic response, saying, “Yeah, exactly”, raising more questions than answers.

Perez’s IndyCar snub is limiting his options

Sergio Perez has made his priorities clear. The Mexican racing driver has no plans of competing in Roger Penske’s IndyCar Series after his time in Formula 1 comes to an end. In recent years, many veterans such as Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean have competed in the racing series after losing their F1 seats, but the 34-year-old isn’t planning to follow in their footsteps. ‘Checo’, who has a contract until 2026 at Red Bull Racing spoke about his plans at a small media roundtable during a Honda event and dismissed speculation linking him to other motorsports disciplines.

When asked about whether he has any desire to move to IndyCar, Perez candidly replied, “Not really. If I’m honest, because I think one of the reasons I’ll stop the day when I stop, it’s because I’ve done it enough. I’ve done it enough at this level of F1.” The 34-year-old went on to say, “I think going into Indy, I have a lot of respect for what the drivers do. At the same time, there are drivers that are not very experienced in the series and doing those sorts of speeds, and having that sort of impact is not something that I’m willing to do once I finish my [F1] career.”

With his future in Formula 1 looking uncertain, can Sergio Perez afford to be picky about racing opportunities? As it turns out, he can, as the Mexican is eager to spend time with family after his time in F1 has ended. He said, “With the tight schedule that we have, I’ve got some small kids at home, so I’d like to spend more time with them, with the family.” However, ‘Checo’ isn’t closing the door on all motorsports events after expressing his interest in participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Daytona 24 Hours, saying, “Yeah, doing one or two races a year. I think it’s something as a driver, you’re going to be looking at very soon because it’s really hard to stop completely.”

Do you think Sergio Perez will lose his Red Bull Racing seat ahead of the 2025 season? Let us know in the comments!