After four years, Formula 1 driver Sergio Prez is officially departing Red Bull Racing. He and the team have announced that they have come to an agreement to split ways before his contract expires.
The following day, Red Bull gave him a coveted spot beside four-time world champion Max Versappen and stated that Liam Lawson, who has lately driven for the junior RB squad, will take his place.
Prez, 35, from Mexico, congratulated the squad and wished it luck in the future in a statement released on Wednesday that sought to provide a friendly farewell.
For the previous four years with Oracle Red Bull Racing and the chance to compete with such a fantastic team, I am immensely thankful. “I’ll always treasure the accomplishments we made together, and driving for Red Bull has been an unforgettable experience,” he stated. We would especially like to thank the Mexican fans for their daily, steadfast support, as well as the supporters worldwide. We’ll see each other shortly. Additionally, never give up.
Lawson expressed his excitement over the promotion on Thursday.
Lawson thanked team managers and the entire Red Bull family for believing in him and providing him with this opportunity, saying, “Being named an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me, something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old.” Working with Max and learning from a world champion excites me much, and I am confident that I will absorb his knowledge. I’m eager to get started!
After a disappointing season in which he failed to win any games for the first time in his four years with Red Bull, Prez is leaving. While teammate Verstappen ended first in the championship, he struggled to keep up with the changing car and finished a dismal seventh. Despite having a contract for the following year, there had been rumors of an early departure for months.
The transfer may mark the end of Prez’s Formula 1 career, which started in 2011, as he will not have a racing seat for the upcoming season.
Christian Horner, the manager of the Red Bull team, praised Checo, who goes by Checo, for his contributions to Oracle Red Bull Racing over the last four seasons and emphasized the team’s first 1-2 result in the Drivers title the previous year.
His five victories—all on street circuits—were also a remarkable testament to his unwavering will to always push himself. Even though Checo won’t be competing for the Team the following season, Horner stated that he will always be a beloved member of the Team and a part of our history.
Prez’s highlights with the team include victories in the streets of Monaco, Baku, Azerbaijan, and Saudi Arabia, as well as an exhilarating wheel-to-wheel battle with Mercedes Lewis Hamilton in the season’s final race in 2021, which Verstappen later claimed helped him win that year’s world championship.
Horner recently told F1 reporters that Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, his teammates at RB, which is renowned for trying out drivers for the senior squad, would be the two contenders to succeed Prez prior to the decision. Lawson’s promotion is a setback for Tsunoda, who has more experience.
Last month, Lawson told NBC News that he would welcome the chance to drive for Red Bull with Verstappen.
I have no idea if that s possible or not, but obviously that s my goal to be in Formula 1 full time, and obviously I m here to try and win a world championship, as well, and the best place to do that is at Red Bull, Lawson said, adding that there was no time frame for such a decision.
He stated that his objective was to merely try to get a place next year, wherever that might be. Going to Red Bull is clearly the ultimate goal.
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