Perez did not score a podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April, and finished eighth in the drivers' championship in 2024, 285 points behind team-mate Verstappen, who wrapped up his fourth consecutive world championship.
All four of those titles have been won with Perez at the Dutchman's side, yet the Mexican has only managed to claim five grands prix victories in that time.
The next step in Perez's racing career currently looks uncertain, with no seats available on the grid next season and team principal Christian Horner suggesting that he will remain part of the Red Bull brand in an ambassadorial role.
His performances in 2023 and 2024 are unlikely to attract any suitors within the near future, but two more seats are set to open up on the F1 grid from 2026, with Cadillac set to join the sport.
Horner also revealed that a move to Red Bull's sister team VCARB wouldn't be 'suitable' for Perez at the current stage of his career, with the Mexican now being 34 and the team more used to developing young Red Bull talent.
Now, however, as his fans adjust to the fact he won't be on the grid next season, Perez has continued to show off the advertising and marketing power he has with a blockbuster announcement on his Instagram page.
Disney's Mufasa drops in cinemas on December 20, perfectly in time for Christmas, and the Mexican racer has taken to his social media page to sport a Mufasa-inspired T-shirt, announcing the film's release and that it was only available in cinemas in his native language.
Mufasa is a spin-off from the legendary film The Lion King, which premiered in 1994 as a cartoon before being made into a live-action film by Disney in 2019.
Mufasa has a reported budget of over $200 million and is expected to gross $50 million on its opening weekend.