Sergio Perez’s ongoing struggles in Formula 1 have left his Red Bull bosses facing a $20 million headache over what it does with him going forward.

Where once his lack of scoring was not much more than an annoyance, and only had an impact on the Mexican’s own drivers’ championship positions, things have got much more critical now that McLaren and Ferrari have stepped up.

Red Bull is quickly facing up to a reality that, with Perez not delivering the points hoped for, it now risks finishing third in the constructors’ championship this year if it does not quickly turn around the speed of its car.

Ferrari’s resurgent form, having taken back-to-back wins and double podiums in Austin and Mexico, has helped the Maranello squad join McLaren in overtaking early-season frontrunner Red Bull in the teams’ standings.

McLaren is still out in front on 566, with Ferrari 29 points back on 537 – leaving Red Bull picking up third place on 512.

While Red Bull’s gap to those ahead of it is not mathematically insurmountable, with a lot of points still to play for, the reality is that Red Bull is barely holding on to the tailcoats of F1’s current two pacesetters – so has little hope of turning the situation around.

The current car performances are also why it is understood that there seems little to gain in pushing for a driver change before the end of the season, because nobody is going to be able to step in and be guaranteed to save its plight enough right now.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

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Ending up behind McLaren and Ferrari will have major consequences for Red Bull, because it well understands that F1’s prize money system is based entirely on constructors’ championship position. So, a third place finish to end the 2024 campaign, as opposed to winning it as looked highly likely in the early phase of the campaign, will be a big financial blow.

And should it come to the point of analysing why exactly – with championship positions worth around $10 million each – it has ended up with $20 million less than it had hoped for, it will have to look at the points that Perez left begging throughout the campaign.

It is this element that will also certainly dictate what Red Bull does when it comes to deciding who Max Verstappen’s team-mate will be next year.

Right now, all indications are that Liam Lawson will get the nod if he continues doing what he is doing. The New Zealander has shown strong form since returning to the F1 cockpit as the replacement for Daniel Ricciardo from the United States Grand Prix.

Although he perhaps overstepped the mark of what was expected of him by clashing with Perez – and then showing him the finger – in Mexico last week, what he has also shown is that he is more than ready to get stuck in – a characteristic that Red Bull’s chiefs always want to see.

But Red Bull’s driver decision is not as simple as picking the best two candidates it can for the main team because it also has to factor in what goes on at sister squad RB. There is no point shifting all the good drivers to Red Bull for a constructors’ championship boost, if that then leaves RB with a line-up that drops it down the order.

A Lawson promotion to the top squad in 2025 could only really happen if it was sure that there was another strong candidate to slot in as team-mate to Yuki Tsunoda.

The obvious next driver in line coming up the Red Bull ranks is Isack Hadjar but, despite his strong season in F2, he would almost certainly benefit from a year of testing and development work to get himself up to speed with F1 before being thrust into what looks like a super-tight midfield battle for RB.

Liam Lawson, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

However, another interesting scenario emerged over the Mexico Grand Prix weekend, and that is of Red Bull trying to get Franco Colapinto out of Williams’ grasps to slot him in next year.

The Argentinean has made a big impression in F1 since Williams drafted him in from the Italian Grand Prix, scoring points and becoming a fan-favourite.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has raved about his performances, being quoted recently as saying he is “turning heads” and telling media in Mexico that he would not be doing his job if he hadn’t made enquiries about his availability.

Sources have suggested that there is another key interest from Red Bull, and that is in tapping into the Latin American sponsor market, as interest in the region ramps up off the back of Colapinto’s form.

Red Bull had good knock-on sponsor benefits to having Perez on board, and there seems plenty of opportunity and interest from Argentinean sponsors already, with Williams certainly capitalising.

While Williams has said repeatedly it would like nothing more than seeing Colapinto land a race seat in F1 in 2025, there remain suggestions it may still want to keep hold of him as much as possible. That suggests any race seat for 2025 would be on a loan basis, rather than letting the youngster become a free agent.

From Red Bull’s perspective, however, this may be a deal breaker, as Marko admitted last weekend that it has no interest in taking someone on loan only to make them better for when they return to their original team.

“The problem with him is that he has a long-term contract with Williams,” the Austrian told the Kleine Zeitung. “[Taking him on loan] is not interesting for any team. You do not want to train a driver for another team.”

It is a situation that seems quite fluid at the moment, and it is little wonder that Williams team boss James Vowles hinted at it being quite delicate when asked about what was going on with Colapinto and RB.

Speaking to F1 TV, Vowles said: “He [Colapinto] has earned his place on the grid, and what we want to help with that is finding him a place in that regard.

“What it looks like, I can’t tell you at the moment, because A, it’s very sensitive, and B, there’s really not a lot to discuss right now.”

Exactly how things shake out with Red Bull’s driver line-up across both its teams for 2025 remains uncertain at the moment, but one thing is clear: it will not accept a $20 million prize money drop for the second year running.

Spanish star Marc Marquez has led a call by MotoGP riders for the world championship finale not to be staged at Valencia amid the heavy flood damage to have hit the region.

The race is scheduled to be held in two weeks on 15-17 November at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. While the circuit itself is understood to have escaped major issues, there is heavy damage to at least one of the access roads.

Although repairing the local infrastructure is probably a viable option, the feeling in the paddock ahead of this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix is that the finale is in doubt. There is a question mark around the deployment of local emergency services, which may be required for ongoing relief efforts, as well as the moral aspect of racing so soon after a catastrophe that has resulted in many lives being lost.

While MotoGP released a statement on Wednesday saying it is “committed to holding the event on the scheduled date” and emphasised solidarity with the victims at this point, riders including Marquez offered clear positions during Thursday’s media interviews at Sepang.

“Ethically speaking, I don’t think the Valencia Grand Prix should be held,” Marquez stated. “Now [the organisers] have to meet and decide, but [if it were up to me] I would have already decided: there would have to be another race, one to close the championship, but somewhere else.

“The only idea that would make sense would be if all the proceeds [from the event] went to the families [affected]…looking at the pictures from here, if money can be raised to help the people affected, then that would be the only logical option.

“As a Spaniard it is very difficult to see these images. We know that the area around the circuit has been badly damaged, but it doesn’t make sense to spend money on repairing that. Resources should go to helping people.”

Circuit Ricardo Tormo after flooding

Photo by: Paco Alcobendas

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Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro added that he would only be comfortable racing in Valencia if the event served as a fundraiser for the relief effort.

“Right now I think going there to race is the less important thing,” said Spain’s Espargaro, for whom the Valencia finale is scheduled to be a farewell before he heads into retirement.

“It’s not about the facilities. I think the facilities can be repaired. But the hospitals and the emergency [personnel deployment] are more important than to go there and do a sporting show.

“I think if we are able to go there and race, then somehow we have to help.

“We can handle it in different ways. If we can give something back to Valencia, for example if we donate our prize money, I would do it 100%. Or [maybe] Dorna can find some [other] way to help them.  

“It’s a very difficult situation. Hopefully Dorna and the government in Spain will take the right decision.”

Espargaro’s team-mate Maverick Vinales did not go so far as to say the race should be cancelled, but echoed his countrymen as far as the moral aspect was concerned.

“We’re in Malaysia and we need to race, but our minds are in Valencia,” said Vinales. “Racing is an aside: we’re praying for everyone who lost their homes or people. Racing in Valencia is not a priority.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has insisted his team has done all it can to support a struggling Sergio Perez after a nightmare home weekend in Mexico.

Perez was eliminated in Q1, copped a time penalty for parking forward of his grid spot and then went on to lose further ground after he and RB’s combative Liam Lawson collided in Turn 5, resulting in floor damage.

After conceding to having a “terrible” season, Perez’s calamitous weekend has put further pressure on the 34-year-old to step up, and pressure on Red Bull to reconsider its options for 2025 after sliding to third place in the constructors’ standings.

When pressed on the Mexican’s future, Horner said: “Checo, again, has had a horrible weekend. Nothing has gone right for him this weekend.

“He knows Formula 1 is a results-based business and inevitably, when you’re not delivering, the spotlight is firmly on you.

“There is always going to be scrutiny on that. As a team, we need to have both cars scoring points and that is the nature of Formula 1.”

Asked if that scrutiny applied to 2025 or if Red Bull could make a change sooner than that, Horner confirmed Perez would be in the car in Brazil but didn’t offer much reassurance beyond the upcoming Sao Paulo weekend.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

“From the team’s perspective, we’re working with him as hard as we can to try to support him,” he added. “We’ve done everything that we can to support Checo and will continue to do so in Brazil next weekend.

“But there comes a point in time that you can only do so much. There comes a point in time that difficult decisions have to be made.

“We’re now third in the constructors’ championship. Our determination is to try and get back into a winning position but it’s going to be a tall order over these next four races.”

Perez was furious with Lawson’s aggressive driving style, blaming the New Zealander – who is in the running for Perez’s seat – for ruining his chance to score points as his floor damage resulted in a big downforce loss.

But Horner didn’t appear to side fully with either driver. “That’s racing. We saw a lot of tough racing out there,” he told Sky Sports F1.

In his print media session, Horner – drawing attention to recent insinuations that Red Bull and RB work together as an entity – then added: “I think it demonstrates that you can see the two teams do race each other and, while having the same ownership, are independent in the way that they go racing.

“Liam has apologised to Checo for the incident and obviously, there will be lessons that come out of that. But it’s frustrating, certainly for Checo’s race, to pick up the damage and lose valuable points.”

Fernando Alonso will be a late arrival at Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix, after needing to return to Europe for treatment for an infection after the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The Spaniard had been unwell in the build-up to last weekend’s race, missing the media day but recovered in time to compete through the three days as he celebrated his 400th F1 weekend.

But Aston Martin says that the intestinal infection that struck him down forced him to travel back to Europe in recent days for treatment from a specialist.

Those efforts appear to have paid off and Alonso is now scheduled to fly to Brazil in time to take part in opening practice on Friday, although he will again miss Thursday’s media activities.

An Aston Martin statement said: “The extra day of treatment has delayed his travel plans to Brazil but ensures he will be ready for this weekend’s racing.”

Although Alonso was able to drive the car in Mexico, he admitted over the course of the weekend that it had not been especially easy for him.

“I’ve been not 100% physically last few days,” he admitted, before ultimately retiring from the race. “But I think this circuit is also not super demanding in terms of G-forces and high speed.”

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

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With Brazil being a sprint race, so extra points available, Alonso will want to make sure that he is in the best physical shape possible to maximise any opportunities that come up.

But were there to be any unexpected complications, then Aston Martin would likely slot in its reserve driver Felipe Drugovich – who will be present at his home race this weekend.

Speaking about his original plans for the event prior to the Alonso situation emerging, the Brazilian said: “I’ll be doing a lot of interviews with local media, keeping across all the sessions when Lance and Fernando are out on track, and supporting the team with feedback.

“I’ll enjoy being home as well. The São Paulo Grand Prix is always one I love attending because I get a lot of attention from the crowd and the media and I try and embrace that. Their support means a lot.”

NASCAR has suspended the 18-year-old Conner Jones for one race after his decision to intentionally wreck Matt Mills last weekend left his rival hospitalized. Jones was battling for 17th in the Homestead Truck race when he let his frustrations overcome him. Entering Turn 3, Jones drove into the back of Mills in an attempted bump-and-run. However, Mills’ truck snapped hard to the right and slammed the wall, quickly erupting into flames.

Mills, who climbed from the fiery wreckage under his own power, spent two nights at a local hospital due to smoke inhalation. Jones was held two laps after the incident during the Truck race at Homestead. 

After the race, Jones released a statement expressing regret and apologizing for his actions, saying: “I underestimated the impact my actions would have on Matt, and I deeply regret the consequences that followed. I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to Matt, Niece Motorsports, NASCAR, and my entire ThorSport Racing team for my unsportsmanlike behavior.”

The two drivers have had run-ins before. In a video message posted by Mills after being released from the hospital with a self-described ‘raspy’ voice, thanking everyone for their support and made it clear that he will be racing this weekend. “Definitely a scary situation,” he said, but he never mentioned Jones.

Jones was slated to compete this weekend at Martinsville. ThorSport will instead put veteran driver Johnny Sauter behind the wheel of the No. 66 machine. The 2016 Truck Series champion has over 300 starts in his career and previously competed for ThorSport.

There are plenty of positives Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward sees with the IndyCar Series returning to Texas in March 2026 with the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington, but it’s also not without its concerns.

The event was announced by the series earlier this month, in partnership with the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official entertainment partner of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers. The 2.73-mile temporary street circuit, will run around Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium and Rangers’ Globe Life Field, as well as through the sports and entertainment district that sells more than 1.6 million tickets to spectators for various events annually. So far, it has received plenty of praise, with several drivers in the paddock noting its similarities to something seen in Formula 1. 

The Lone Star State is familiar territory for O’Ward, who is a native of Monterrey, Mexico, but also grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He also won his first career IndyCar race at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in 2021. IndyCar competed at TMS from 1997-2023.

Overall, O’Ward is hoping the event will push the sport to new heights. 

Arlington Grand Prix track map

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

“I think that event is going to be a big test to what new markets and what we can ultimately reach in terms of a bit more upscale than some of the other tracks, other events that we have on the calendar,” O’Ward told Motorsport.com. 

“The venue looks really cool. Jerry Jones (Cowboys owner) is a very well-known name and he owns one of the most insane franchises in the NFL; one of the teams in the NFL that obviously draws a lot of eyes, a lot of public (interest). I don’t know, man. Until we do that first event, we’ll really see what that can ultimately bring to the series. Texas is a huge market. We were missing out on that market and I’m glad that it’s back on the calendar. I think it’ll be huge for the series but also a test on just having an idea on how much further we can go in terms of experiences, what are people willing to pay for that experience?”

And the cost factor is where O’Ward, who has seven career IndyCar victories, remains apprehensive.

“I think there’s a lot of questions to be asked if that event is a massive success and I think that can ultimately elevate the series to a different level,” O’Ward said. “But, there’s always the possibility of having it the other way and that’s definitely something we don’t want. I’m a bit worried on the pricing of everything. I’ve spent thousands of dollars of my own money to create experiences for people and sometimes a lot of those do come out at a loss because in IndyCar’s market, people aren’t willing to pay over $1,000 for a paddock ticket. And there definitely is the market to do that because people pay $10,000 to $15,000 in Formula 1, but can we tap into that market? I don’t know.”