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Red Bull F1 faces tough decisions as Sergio Pérez finally signals his looming exit

Published

1 year ago

December 9, 2024

Red Bull F1 faces tough decisions as Sergio Pérez finally signals his looming exit

Bringing his car to a stop after a hit from Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Pérez must have known that would likely be his final act as a Red Bull Formula One driver.

At the end of a disappointing — in his own words, “terrible” — year, Pérez didn’t even get the chance to complete a single lap in the Abu Dhabi season finale. The clout from Bottas, for which the Sauber driver was penalized, caused Pérez’s RB20 to lose power and come to a halt.

It denied Pérez the chance to sign off from F1 2024 on a positive note. But speaking after the retirement, he admitted for the first time he may not race for Red Bull in 2025.

“We’re talking to try and see what’s best going forward, and we’ll see what happens in the coming days,” Pérez said. He added he and the team would “discuss what is the situation for both parties and see if we’re able to reach an agreement.”

It became clear heading to Abu Dhabi that Pérez’s time at Red Bull was running out. The team had lost out on the constructors’ championship, ending the season third behind McLaren and Ferrari — and, with it, the associated prize money. It’s only the third time since 2000 that the drivers’ champion, Verstappen, does not drive for the constructors’ champion.

At the end of a year of speculation about Pérez’s future, it at last seems that Red Bull decided enough was enough and that a change is required for 2025.

Until Sunday, Pérez had been defiant — that he would be at Red Bull next year, despite his underperformance this season, scoring barely one-third of Max Verstappen’s points total and failing to finish on the podium since round five in China. As he kept saying, he had signed a contract extension in June.

Pérez stuck to his guns about his 2025 contract through Thursday’s media day. After qualifying on Saturday, he still didn’t entertain a thought about Sunday being his last race with Red Bull, saying there was “nothing new to add to what I’ve been saying before.”

The change in tune from Pérez on Sunday was also present in Red Bull’s post-race press release. In it, the team quoted Pérez as saying: “We will see what happens in the coming days, I don’t know what is going to happen at the moment, I have a contract and the team and I have been talking. It’s a case of discussing what is the best for everybody moving forwards.”

Talks started in Abu Dhabi between Pérez’s camp and Red Bull about working on the agreement that Pérez referred to, essentially a deal for him to give up the race seat for next year. Given Pérez’s contribution to Red Bull’s recent success in F1, some kind of ambassadorial role is certainly on the table.

Pérez scored 65 points since the Chinese GP in April. Verstappen scored 337 points. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

After the race, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said the team wanted to sit down with Pérez and “work out what is the right and appropriate way forward.” He highlighted Pérez’s efforts at the team, particularly the two constructors’ titles and his assist for Max Verstappen at the 2021 finale in Abu Dhabi. Despite the difficulty of 2024, there remains a lot of respect for the driver at Red Bull.

“Sitting here now, he’s still our driver,” Horner said. “So it would be wrong for me to speculate on what next year may look like until he and I have sat down and discussed this year, and we reflect on it as a team.”

But Horner also said the drop to third in the championship showed why having two drivers consistently scoring was crucial, especially going into another competitive season in 2025. “Ferrari will be strong with their line-up next year,” he said. “McLaren have a strong line-up. Mercedes will have an inexperienced driver in one of their seats. And so for us, it’s very important that both of our drivers are delivering and there’s not a significant gap.”

Once Pérez’s presumed exit is agreed upon, Red Bull’s next task will be to decide who will race alongside Verstappen. Horner said the four-time champion is the “hardest teammate in the world to have.”

All the signs in Abu Dhabi pointed to RB’s Liam Lawson getting the nod and becoming a Red Bull Racing driver in 2025. The New Zealander retired late in Abu Dhabi after an earlier loose wheel cost him the chance to fight for points, and he only has 11 F1 races to his name. However, he has always been highly regarded within the Red Bull setup, particularly by adviser Helmut Marko. Red Bull also has a history of backing such inexperience, promoting Alex Albon to become Verstappen’s teammate after only 12 races in 2019. Lawson, 22, has just one retirement and six points.

Promoting Lawson would be a blow to Yuki Tsunoda, who qualified ahead in all six races they spent as teammates this year. Tsunoda, 24, has raced for RB since 2021 and made decent progress each year, yet doubts appear to linger from Red Bull over promoting him to the senior squad.

“I think Liam, in challenging circumstances, he’s done a very good job,” Horner said post-race in Abu Dhabi. “If you analyze what he’s done in the time that he’s had and the race pace that he’s had, I think he’s done a good job.

“I think Yuki has done a good job. In the event that anything were decided with Checo, they’d be the candidates that we would look towards.”

If Red Bull named Lawson as Verstappen’s teammate for 2025, it would open up a seat alongside Tsunoda at RB that looks likely to be filled by Isack Hadjar. Hadjar, 20, finished runner-up in this year’s F2 standings and participated in two F1 practice sessions for Red Bull in 2024. He hinted in Qatar that he already knew his plans for 2025, having emerged as the leading youngster in Red Bull’s junior program waiting to move up to F1.

Sergio Perez walks to his garage after the qualifying session ahead of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. (HAMAD I MOHAMMED/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Pérez’s struggles through 2024 have been tough to watch. He started strong, scoring four podiums in the first five races. At Suzuka, a true ‘driver’s track’ where Verstappen’s natural gifts come to the fore, he was within a tenth of taking pole. When his form started to dip, Red Bull thought the new contract would provide the backing and boost he needed. Horner admitted on Friday that it simply “didn’t work.”

That effort to support Pérez has left the team in its current position, trying to work out agreeable terms for his exit and ending a rollercoaster four-season partnership. Horner said there was “no immediate rush” to work things out, but a swift resolution would surely suit all parties.

It would give Red Bull the chance to turn the page and put full focus on 2025 — and, presuming he gets the seat, give Lawson the most amount of time to prepare for the most formidable job in all of racing: being Verstappen’s teammate. It is a task that Pérez warned on Thursday, perhaps knowing how the wind was blowing, would be a big test for any young driver.

“Being teammates with Max at Red Bull as a young driver, I wouldn’t like to be in those shoes, if I’m honest,” Pérez said.

“People cannot underestimate the level of challenge that there is in this seat.”

Top photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Related Topics:Featured Formula 1 motorsports

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Sports

Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

Published

5 hours ago

March 1, 2026

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Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Dominiq Ponder died this weekend, the team’s head coach Deion Sanders confirmed on Sunday with a social media post.

“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends and loved ones,” Sanders wrote on social media. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us.”

Ponder was 23 years old.

Details of Ponder’s death are not yet known.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

Ponder, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller, joined the Buffaloes and “Coach Prime’s” program in 2024 after spending time at Bethune-Cookman before making his way to Boulder.

Last season, Ponder played just two games for the Buffaloes while serving in his backup role. He recorded two rush attempts and one pass attempt.

The Opa Locka, Fla., native also received tribute from a fellow quarterback with the Buffaloes, Colton Allen.

Bethune-Cookman QB Dominiq Ponder takes a snap during the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Daytona Stadium. (IMAGN)

“Dom, you were a blessing to so many people,” Allen wrote on Instagram. “You had a presence about you that just made everything better. You brought so much joy to me and everyone around you. I’m grateful for every lift, every practice, every rep, every conversation we got to share. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life.”

Ponder was going to be a part of Colorado’s spring practices, which are set to begin on Monday. It’s unknown if Sanders will postpone the start due to Ponder’s passing.

Ponder also received a tribute from the University of Central Florida.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (Tyler Tate/AP Photo)

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“Our prayers are with Dominiq and the Ponder family along with all in the Colorado football program,” the university’s football account on X wrote.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

No. 2 UCLA women dominate rival USC to finish Big Ten play undefeated

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5 hours ago

March 1, 2026

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No. 2 UCLA women dominate rival USC to finish Big Ten play undefeated

Sunday was “Senior Night” for the USC women’s basketball team at Galen Center, but it was the other team’s seniors who stole the show.

Gabriela Jaquez scored 14 points, Kiki Rice had 11 points and four assists and Lauren Betts had 15 rebounds and five assists as UCLA wrapped up the regular season with a 73-50 victory over its rival and finished undefeated in conference play for the first time since going 18-0 in the Pac-10 in 1998-99 under Kathy Olivier.

Having already clinched the regular-season title, UCLA became the first team to navigate the Big Ten schedule without a loss since Maryland in 2014-15.

“These are two elite programs, we knew it would be different tonight, we knew they’d come with fire,” said UCLA coach Cori Close, who improved to 9-4 against the Trojans since counterpart Lindsay Gottlieb started at USC in 2021. “We knew we’d have to do it with our defense, our rebounding and by taking care of the ball.”

It was the Bruins’ 22nd consecutive win, one shy of the record they set last season. Since their lone loss to then-No. 4 Texas on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas, they have won by 20 or more points 17 times.

Ranked second in the nation in both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls behind defending national champion Connecticut (30-0), the Bruins earned the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament in Indianapolis and got a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals.

Charlisse Leger-Walker, nicknamed “X-ray vision” by teammates, equaled her season high with 20 points for the Bruins (28-1, 18-0) while Gianna Kneepkens added 14 points and five assists.

“Anytime we play together we know we can win,” Leger-Walker said. “We did a good job looking into the scout. Every game we just think about going 1-0. People scouting us know that all five players on the court can score the ball.”

UCLA center Lauren Betts, left, controls the ball in front of USC forward Vivian Iwuchukwu during the first half Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

UCLA held USC to 27% shooting in the teams’ first meeting — a 34-point Bruins victory at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 3 behind Betts’ 18 points. It was USC’s most lopsided loss under coach Lindsay Gottlieb. On Sunday, USC shot 39% and was only three for 19 from three-point range.

“Going undefeated [in conference] is a great step in the right direction towards what we want to accomplish,” said Jaquez, who appreciated the flowers she received before the game from USC. “I love this rivalry. It’s super fun to play against them and it was nice that they honored us too.”

UCLA jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes and carried a 19-11 advantage into the second quarter. The Bruins widened the gap to 18 points by halftime, holding the Trojans scoreless for the last 3:08.

USC (17-12, 9-9) opened the second half on an 11-2 run but gave up 14 second-chance points and allowed 22 offensive rebounds.

UCLA guard Kiki Rice, front, and forward Angela Dugalic celebrate as USC guard Kennedy Smith walks away.

“If we get more possessions than our opponent we’re most likely going to win,” Close said. “We didn’t allow one basket on an out-of-bounds play and they lead the conference in that.”

Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson, USC’s leading scorer, got into early foul trouble but still finished with 12 points. She was held to 10 points on four-for-15 shooting in the first meeting.

“It was a great crowd, we were in the fight but we didn’t rebound or shoot well enough,” Gottlieb said. “We wanted to keep them out of our paint. We swarmed Betts, double-teamed her and got it out of her hands but other people scored.”

Londynn Jones, who spent three seasons in Westwood (playing in 108 straight games) before transferring to USC for her senior year, was held to six points in the team’s first meeting and nine points (on four-of-10 shooting) in the rematch. The Trojans’ other senior, Kara Dunn, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with eight points.

“I love Londynn,” Close said. “We think she looks better in blue, but we love her and I told her that. I appreciate all she gave to our programs.”

Asked if this is the best team she has ever coached, Close had a one-word answer.

“Yes.”

Sports

Israeli national gymnastics team suspends all activities after Iranian counter-attack

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

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Israeli national gymnastics team suspends all activities after Iranian counter-attack

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Israel’s national gymnastics team has suspended all training and team activities amid the recent Iranian counter-attack on the country following the U.S.-assisted strikes on Iran.

The Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) provided a statement to Fox News Digital announcing the violence has caused “unavoidable disruptions.”

“The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, particularly as we are at the outset of the international season,” the statement read.

“At this time, all training activities have been temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations. Naturally, the suspension of training and the closure of airspace are causing considerable stress and concern. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remain our highest priority. We sincerely hope for safer and calmer days ahead, when we can focus solely on sport.”

A source within the team told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterstrikes began.

Israel’s gymnastics team is considered one of nation’s strongest Olympic programs alongside its Judo and sailing teams. The team is only a week removed from a successful trip at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Germany, where the country’s star Artem Dolgopyat won the gold medal in floor gymnastics.

Now, the team will have to seek safety until the attacks are over.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue to shelter in place either in or near their residences as Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel.

Additionally, the embassy announced that due to the security situation, it would be closed on March 2, and did not give an estimate on when it would be reopening. The closure includes consular sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The embassy also said it is “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.” It noted that Ben Gurion Airport remains closed and there there are neither commercial nor charter flights operating from the airport.

On Friday, ahead of the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the embassy gave all non-essential workers permission to leave Israel, with reports that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged those looking to leave to do so as soon as possible.

Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday as Tehran’s latest missile barrage landed just miles from Jerusalem.

The strikes landed in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Initial reports said four people were killed when missiles landed in a residential area on Sunday, but that death toll rose to eight, according to Israel’s national emergency service.

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Iran’s military has carried out counterattacks against Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

The strikes also killed several other top Iranian leaders, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.