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Not even a scene from Leonardo DiCaprio in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' to emphasize that "I'm not leaving," or a "see you in Las Vegas and in 2025" from Sergio Perez, have been enough for the press to stop spreading false rumors of a supposed farewell to Red Bull, let alone a retirement from F1.
Once again, the European media once again published alleged information that Sergio Perez would be living his last moments with Red Bull, and insist on the g of Franco Colapinto.
New rumor of Sergio Perez leaving Red Bull
And yes, the Mexican is in the midst of his biggest crisis since his arrival at Milton Keynes, with China being the last race he stepped on the podium, which happened almost seven months ago.
Based on this, it was now The Race that revealed that Checo Perez could be fired from Red Bull, and, even for dignity, he would leave Formula 1.
"Although he is on a long-term contract with Red Bull and has been frustrated by reports that he could be sacked, Red Bull are willing to do exactly that," they noted.
That's why The Race stresses in Sergio Perez's farewell: "There will be no alternative place for him on the grid, so Checo's only options if he loses his seat at Red Bull is to take a sabbatical or accept that his Formula 1 career is over."
"That's why Sergio Perez's decision to retire is seen as a more orderly solution, rather than being sacked two years early. Although, it is not ruled out that Checo will remain linked to Red Bull in an ambassadorial role."
Franco Colapinto is back in the Red Bull fold
On the other hand, the motorsport portal places Franco Colapinto as the favorite to replace the 34-year-old Mexican driver, although he is under contract until the end of 2026.
"Colapinto's performances alongside Albon have caught the eye. There were some conversations with Sauber, Red Bull's interest is well established and another team, believed to be Alpine, has also approached him for a loan deal, although it is unclear why, given that they have Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan confirmed for next year," they said.
According to The Race, the Milton Keynes-based team would be willing to give the Argentine one of the seats it will have vacant: "Red Bull represents the best opportunity for Colapinto to get into the grid. It has two seats to fill for next year, and apparently, one will be for its own protege, Isack Hadjar, who is ready for F1. And that's why it's willing to consider g a junior driver from another team," they stressed.
It is no surprise that Red Bull has Franco Colapinto on its radar, and although it was initially thought that he would be Yuki Tsunoda's teammate at AlphaTauri in case Lawson was promoted, there is the possibility that he could go directly to Red Bull if his performances in the last three races back him up.
One of the doubts Red Bull has about Lawson is whether his qualifying pace is good enough to be Verstappen's teammate, although it is impressed by his level of performance so far, as well as his confidence.
This is similar to what happens to Colapinto, whose mentality and speed against Albon are what Red Bull has taken into . The way he has come into F1 with very little preparation and has been competitive from the start has demonstrated a resilience that the Red Bulls consider essential for the best drivers.
Finally, The Race insists that Franco Colapinto is the preferred driver at Red Bull, with whom they held talks in Williams' hospitality in Brazil, while the possibility of repatriating Carlos Sainz was ruled out, as he has just signed a contract with the British team.