Red Bull Racing is poised to make a decisive call on Sergio Perez’s contract amidst a tumultuous season.
The future of Sergio Perez with Red Bull Racing is reportedly going to be announced imminently as the team nears a decision on his contract amidst a fluctuating season. Perez showed promise early in 2024 but has faced challenges that have questioned his stability within the Milton Keynes-based squad.
As the 2024 Formula 1 season progresses, Red Bull Racing finds itself nearing a critical decision regarding the career of their second driver, Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver started the 2024 season off with impressive performances, securing second-place finishes behind teammate Max Verstappen in three out of the first four races. However, after struggles during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and qualifying 18th for Monaco, questions have now been raised about Perez’s future with the team.
A report from The Race states:
“The expectation among various parties – some connected directly to the team, some impacted by what it decides to do – is that Perez will be re-signed, and soon.”
Speaking to the media following the Monaco Grand Prix, which Perez was forced to retire from after being involved in a huge crash with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, Red Bull team chief Christian Horner commented, as quoted by The Race:
“This weekend’s been pretty brutal for him. Obviously, we need to make sure that we’ve got both cars up there scoring points because we cannot dismiss the threat of Ferrari and McLaren in both championships.
“I haven’t missed that [Ferrari and McLaren have strong driver line-ups]. We’ll make a decision in the fullness of time. He was qualifying on the front row and finishing second and third and scoring very well. We just need to get him back into that position of confidence and not see a dip.”
However, alternative driver options and internal dynamics complicate Perez’s situation. Carlos Sainz, who is set to be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in 2025, is an option for the team as well as RB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo.
