Sergio Perez close to the exit door from Red Bull Racing

This development concerns one of the sponsors who support Sergio Perez. In particular, RBR announced its sponsorship agreement with the American telecommunications company AT+T, which is the main commercial competitor of the Telmex company – especially in Mexico.

Telmex is owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, who backs Sergio Perez with tens of millions of dollars a year – through sponsorships of both him and Red Bull Racing.

So the fact that Telmex will not be on the Red Bull car in 2025 is expected to have a significant impact on the foundations that have kept Perez at the Milton Keynes team until now.

Carlos Slim explained how “We are still talking with the team, but our intention is to always continue to support Czeko (Perez). We will continue to support him, without a doubt.

Our contract with the Czech is separate from our sponsorship contribution to the team. It’s always been that way, as long as we’ve been this team. But if we no longer have the possibility to work with the team, we definitely want to continue with Czeko, regardless of the team that Czeko is in.”

This development shows that the “divorce” of RBR with the 34-year-old Perez is now a matter of time, although this year the two sides signed an extension of their contract for another two years, until the end of 2026.

Indirectly but not clearly, this possibility was also admitted by Christian Horner, who had never in the past expressed the slightest doubt about Perez’s stay in Milton Keynes. But he did so now, after his team also fell behind Ferrari in the constructors’ championship standings.

“We are now only 3rd in the constructors’ championship. The Czech knows that F1 is a results-based sport, and inevitably when you don’t deliver, the spotlight falls on you.”Horner said after the Mexican GP. “As a team, we have done everything to support him, and we will do the same in Brazil.

But there comes a time when we can’t do anything anymore. This is the moment when difficult decisions must be made.” added the Briton, after Perez’s disqualification in Q1 of the qualifying tests for the Mexico City race, and his failure – for the 5th race this year – to score any points for the team.

Already, Red Bull has chosen to put Liam Lawson in the second cockpit of its subsidiary RB (the former Alpha Tauri), with the ultimate goal – according to many – to prepare him for his possible promotion to the big team, alongside Max Verstappen, when needed.

For the same purpose, he has scheduled a test day with the Red Bull Racing car for Yuki Tsunoda, the second driver of RB. For the promotion of the Japanese next to Verstappen, Honda, which supplies the two Red Bull teams with engines, is reportedly exerting intense pressure.

In the event, now, that one of Lawson or Tsunoda is promoted to RBR in 2025, there will be a vacancy in next year’s RB. For this position, Red Bull has several new drivers in its Academy, most notably Isak Hajjar, but has not hidden its admiration for the impressive debut this year of Franco Colapinto, the young Argentine who was called in September to replace Logan Sargeant in the Williams F1.

With Colapinto’s Williams cockpit set to be occupied by Carlos Sainz in 2025, the Argentine is eyeing an F1 racing seat for the new year. Williams principal James Vowles’ attempt to place him at Sauber-Audi has reportedly failed, so the only other position likely to open up is at RB.

Colapinto, moreover, has not only his impressive talent – which he displayed in his races with Williams from the Italian GP onwards – to offer, but also the support of important sponsors in his country. Like from Globant, which is owned by both Williams and Formula 1 sponsors.

Despite reports that Colapinto’s manager has been in extensive contact with Red Bull for a place at RB in 2025, the 21-year-old Argentine has ruled out a move to the Faenza club next year.

“I don’t understand where all this is coming from” Colapinto told F1 TV. “I don’t have a place for next year and at the moment I know I won’t be in Formula 1. I’ll probably race somewhere else. I hope to show this year that I deserve a place to come back in 2026 or ’27, that’s the goal and for ‘ that’s what I do, fight by fight”he added.

The problem with Colapinto is that he is tied to a long-term contract with Williams. To be acquired by a team on loan “no team is interested. You don’t want to train a driver for another team” explained Red Bull’s Helmut Marko.