Sergio Perez F1 return handed huge BOOST in scathing Red Bull verdict

Red Bull

Perez return handed huge BOOST in scathing Red Bull verdict

Perez was ditched by Red Bull in the off-season

Chris Deeley

Monday 31 March 2025 21:54

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Ex-Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has hit out at Red Bull's handling of Liam Lawson's demotion to Racing Bulls, while speaking out on Sergio Perez's off-season axing.

Perez was removed from his full-time racing role after struggling to eighth place in the drivers' championship last season, with many questioning whether he'd ever make it back into the sport.

However, Lawson's early struggles driving opposite Max Verstappen have prompted a reevaluation of Perez's 2024 season, having been significantly more successful than the Kiwi.

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Perez is now firmly in the mix for a return to the grid in 2026, with Mario Andretti revealing that he's on the shortlist for a seat with Cadillac when they become the 11th team next year.

Will Sergio Perez return to F1?

Montoya has slammed Red Bull's decision to replace Lawson after just two races, criticising the team's car and telling Vision 4 Sport: "Red Bull needed to give Liam Lawson more time, yes. How can you make a decision on two races? It amazes me that they think it is just a driver issue, not a car issue, or an engineering issue, or a core group issue. How ruthless do you need to be to go?"

The Columbian also suggested that the news may have boosted Perez's stake in the sport: "Then I go back to the same question, then how good was Checo Perez then? Because he could do a pretty decent job on that car. His career was killed because we all at the time thought Checo was the problem.

"We were asking ‘what the hell is wrong with Checo?’ Now you look back at it and you go, ‘my god, it was the bloody car'."

He continued to talk about the fallout from the controversial decision, adding on Lawson: "I think right now his reputation is not good. You can see all the memes on social media. He's very cocky. A little arrogance is OK. But the problem is that when you're arrogant, you need to deliver. You need to back it up. This was a real slap in the face for him.

"The Mexicans will be loving this because he gave Checo the middle finger last year because supposedly Perez was a terrible driver. Now you see them in the same car and he's worse than Perez.

"It’s been a very humbling experience for Liam. I think it will help him put everything into perspective. If he doesn’t panic and if he stays in the moment and just goes and drives the car, I think Liam can do a really good job."

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Sergio Perez Liam Lawson Cadillac Juan Pablo Montoya