Perez racing his final Grand Prix for Red Bull?

Perez is not only a teammate to one of the greatest drivers Formula 1 has ever seen, but also at Red Bull has a host of young drivers craving his seat. After a "terrible season" by his own account, Perez has been no match for the #1 RBR driver, who won his fourth F1 title this season. Meanwhile, the queue of drivers for his place on the grid grows restless.

Stats show Perez is destined to finish P8 in this year's championship, the worst of the drivers with winning cars at their disposal. His meagre 152-point haul, compared to Verstappen's 429 points, not only illustrated the gulf between the pair but also cost Red Bull the 2024 F1 Constructors title.

In Abu Dhabi, rumours are rife that this is Perez's last Grand Prix for Red Bull. And team boss Christian Horner did little to douse the speculation with his comments to reporters at Yas Marina Circuit.

Commenting on the matter to the media team at Instant Casino, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya weighed in on the saga: "In June they signed Pérez on a new two-year deal, or a year with an option. People say there is no get-out. The right amount gets anybody out, though.

"But for me, I think Checo, for not only Mexico but for the Latin market, is huge for Red Bull sales. So, if they're happy losing that and losing the money Checo brings with the sponsors and everything to get somebody still unknown, it doesn't make sense," reckoned Montoya.

As for who would be an apt teammate for rampant Verstappen, Montoya began by process of eliminating the rumours: "I don't think they would ever put Colapinto in the Red Bull. If they decided they wanted Colapinto, he would go into the small VCARB team.

"But at the same time, you’ve just signed [Liam] Lawson. I think he deserves a seat more than anybody there. I think that Yuki [Tsunoda] would be the automatic choice for the senior Red Bull team. Yuki for maturity with the team.

Then you end up with Lawson in the VCARB and another rookie who, in my opinion, would be [Isack] Hadjer. But this is probably hypothetical unless Red Bull is willing to pay a lot of money out of pocket," added Montoya.

Persistence with Perez by a historically impatient Red Bull management when it comes to drivers was mirrored by the extraordinary time and resources invested in trying to turn Daniel Ricciardo into an F1 driver again. The veteran failed to be the Perez replacement Horner and Cahoots were rooting for.

Lawson stepped up for Ricciardo after the Aussie broke his wrist at Zandvoort last year. The young New Zealander impressed with his five races last year for VCARB as a sub and ditto this year when called on to take over the seat since the United States Grand Prix.

Regarding Perez's future with the team, Red Bull boss Christian Horner appeared unconvincing when discussing the Mexican veteran's future as he towed the PR line: “Obviously, Checo is our driver; he remains our driver, contracted to the team [until the end of 2026].

"This season hasn't gone to anyone's plan, particularly with Checo's performance, and since Monaco, it's been very, very tough for him. And so inevitably, once we get this race out of the way, we'll sit down and discuss the future. But Checo has been a very important part of our team.

"There's huge respect for Checo within the team, and nobody likes to see him struggling like the way he has. And, you know, we'll sit down and discuss things after the season.”

As for possible Perez replacements, Horner said, “We've got two talented drivers in VCARB [Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson]. But until the situation is clear with Sergio and what he wants to do, everything else is purely speculation.”

By the end of tonight's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Perez will have raced 90 times for Red Bull. Time will tell if he lines up for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in 98 days time.