Now, Perez is the man under pressure to keep his seat, with Red Bull considering his future after a very challenging 2024 campaign.
Perez’s inability to deliver consistent results has harmed Red Bull’s position in the constructors’ standings, with the team finishing third behind Ferrari and McLaren.
Naturally, pundits and broadcasters have been discussing what could come next for Perez given his form and the speculation surrounding his future.
One person to cast judgement on the matter is popular F1 figure and former driver Martin Brundle, who carries out commentary duties these days. Brundle has admitted he will be relieved once Perez's future is decided, the same as he felt with Ricciardo after the intense scrutiny over his future in the sport.
“I feel the same way about Sergio as I did about Daniel Ricciardo, actually,” Brundle said at the Abu Dhabi GP.
“I have the utmost respect for the person and the driver and the victories he’s had and some of the great overtakes and all of the things we’ve seen Sergio do, sometimes in sub-par cars as well - total respect.
“But I’ll be slightly relieved when it’s over.
"It must be purgatory for him at the moment, he’s lost his mojo, he’s lost his way and all the pressure that’s being heaped on that, to turn up to the track every day, it must be painful.”