F1 News: Red Bull legend claims Perez 'facing' AXE just like Ricciardo

Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, 2024, Generic — Photo: © IMAGO

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Red Bull legend claims Perez 'facing' AXE just like Ricciardo

David Coulthard has warned the Red Bull racer that he could join Daniel Ricciardo on the sidelines next season

By Kevin McKenna.

Friday 27 September 2024 19:00

Red Bull insider and former Formula 1 star David Coulthard has warned Sergio Perez that he is facing the same situation as Daniel Ricciardo.

It has now been confirmed that Ricciardo has been axed from his seat in the sport, with Red Bull opting to put their reserve driver Liam Lawson in at RB for the remainder of 2025.

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It has been quite the turnaround for the Aussie, who, not that long ago, was reportedly in contention for a stunning Red Bull return.

Despite his consistent struggles at RB in 2024, the 35-year-old emerged as a shock candidate to take over from Perez at Red Bull during the summer break, before team boss Christian Horner confirmed he had no plans to change his line-up.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez is currently experiencing a miserable run of form

Eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo is set to be without a seat in 2025

Sergio Perez could follow Daniel Ricciardo 'out the door'

He had looked on course to secure a morale-boosting top-three finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix earlier this month, but a dramatic late collision with Carlos Sainz ended his afternoon prematurely.

The 34-year-old hoped to build on that strong performance in Singapore, but finished 10th, eight places behind his team-mate Max Verstappen, allowing McLaren to take a commanding lead in the constructors' championship with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing P1 and P3 respectively.

David Coulthard believes Perez's Red Bull seat is under threat

Speaking after the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, former F1 racer David Coulthard, who previously raced for Red Bull and remains a Red Bull athlete to this day, predicted Perez could suffer the same fate as Ricciardo should he fail to score big points over the final six grands prix of the year.

"He did brilliantly in Baku but again as they say, one swallow doesn’t make a summer and one good result is not what you expect from clearly the number two driver in that team," Coulthard told Channel 4.

"There was so much relief off the back of Baku and then here it’s a bit back to reality.

"If he doesn’t keep getting some solid points for the remainder of the year, then like Daniel Ricciardo, it looks like he’s on the way out of the door, that could be the same situation for Perez."

Red Bull Formula 1 Daniel Ricciardo Sergio Perez Liam Lawson David Coulthard