Sergio Perez replaced at Red Bull by driver who infuriated him with crude gesture
Sergio Perez's Formula 1 seat at Red Bull has been taken by Liam Lawson - a driver who he isn’t exactly friendly with.
Lawson will partner Max Verstappen from 2025, the team have confirmed, after Perez was cut following four seasons.
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Mexican Perez ended the 2024 season in terrible form with a dismal return of 21 points across ten rounds.
Having won five Grand Prix in his previous three campaigns, the 34-year-old trailed teammate and champion Max Verstappen by a staggering 285 points which cost Red Bull the chance to defend their constructors crown.
As a result, Red Bull chief Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner had little choice other than to cancel his two-year contract extension early.
Perez's successor was confirmed on Thursday as former junior driver Liam Lawson.
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The 22-year-old New Zealander said: “To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old.
"It’s been an incredible journey so far. I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB for their support, the last six races have played a huge part in my preparation for this next step. I also want to thank, Christian, Helmut and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.
"I am super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a World Champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I can’t wait to get going!”
Lawson subbed in last season for the injured Daniel Ricciardo at sister team RB and impressed in five races.
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This term the story was similar, with Lawson again replacing Ricciardo on a full-time basis due to a contractual clause that meant Red Bull would lose him if he wasn't signed.
He entered the fray with six rounds to go, and secured two point-scoring finishes, but was outperformed by teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
However, Lawson has been given the nod ahead of the Japanese driver, something that may leave a bitter taste in the mouth of Perez.
After the Mexico City Grand Prix, the New Zealander was jokingly advised by Martin Brundle to leave in a balaclava after an infamous clash with home favourite Perez.
Lawson gave Perez the finger in front of the latter's fans when overtaking him on the main straight, in one of the many battles on the track between the two.
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Perez himself was not impressed by the behaviour of a driver at Red Bull's sister team and slammed his rival's conduct post-race.
“I think I don’t have any relationship with him,” he said.
“I think the way he has come to Formula 1, I don’t think he has the right attitude for it.
“He needs to be a bit more humble, you know. When a two-time World Champion was saying things last weekend, he completely ignored him.
“It’s like when you come to Formula 1, you’re obviously very hungry and so on, but you have to be as well respectful off-track and on-track.
“I don’t think he’s showing the right attitude to show a good pace for himself, because I think he’s a great driver and I hope for him that he can step back and learn from it.”
At the time, Marko said: "Checo was also very upset with Lawson. So I think we have to sit down and discuss it here."
Although Marko does appear to have changed his tune, in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, he compared Lawson to legends of F1.
“Liam Lawson reminds me of Bruce McLaren or Denny Hulme, quite down-to-earth and mentally strong,” the Austrian said.
As far as F1 compliments go, that’s a huge one for Lawson given McLaren and Hulme are two of the greatest F1 drivers New Zealand has ever seen.
He has now been given the nod to partner Verstappen over his more senior teammate Tsunoda, who is set for a fifth straight season at Red Bull's junior team.
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Formula 2 runner-up Isack Hadjar is the driver tipped to join fellow rookies Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Ollie Bearman, and Gabriel Bortoleto on the 2025 grid at RB.
Lawson meanwhile revealed during an exclusive interview with talkSPORT in June that he would have been forced to consider his options elsewhere if a move at Red Bull continued to be blocked.
On whether he’d take a step away from his current team to be given an opportunity elsewhere, Lawson joked: “You know I can’t answer this!
“Honestly at the end of the day I would love to be with Red Bull and Formula 1, they are the strongest team at the moment and this is my sixth year with Red Bull.
“So if I could choose I would love to be with Red Bull, but obviously there is no seat there and my goal is Formula 1 so that could be anywhere.”
Team principal Christian Horner has backed Lawson to shine as he now steps up to the top team, saying: "Liam's performances over the course of his two stints with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls have demonstrated that he's not only capable of delivering strong results but that he's also a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top.
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"His arrival continues the team's long history of promoting from within the Red Bull Junior Programme and he follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and, of course, Max Verstappen.
"There's no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in F1, is a daunting task but I'm sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year."