Sergio Perez will keep his Red Bull seat until at least the end of the season (Image: GETTY)
Sergio Perez will keep his Red Bull seat until at least the end of the season.
Red Bull were reportedly asked to keep hold of Sergio Perez by Formula One rights holders Liberty Media in a move that was motivated by money. It was confirmed earlier this week that Perez would be staying at Red Bull until at least the end of the season in spite of his dire recent form.
Team boss Christian Horner and chief advisor Helmut Marko met on Monday to discuss whether or not to relieve Perez of his duties. They eventually decided to keep him, with Horner relaying the news to hundreds of Red Bull colleagues at their Milton Keynes base.
It has since been claimed by F1-insider that Liberty Media stepped in to request that Perez was kept on for the second half of the season. They were reportedly concerned about a potential drop in revenue at the Mexican Grand Prix, with Perez considered a national hero.
Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson were thought to have been the prime contenders to replace Perez if he was given the boot. Horner was said to have favoured putting Ricciardo in the seat, while Marko reportedly wanted a younger driver to step in.
Their decision to keep Perez was a surprising one, given that he is currently 146 points adrift of Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship standings. He has only been on the podium at four races and his qualifying results have been desperately poor with a number of Q1 exits.
It has also been reported that Max Verstappen and his father Jos were shocked to hear that Perez was staying at Red Bull. The Dutchman and his family were allegedly informed before Horner’s announcement that Perez would be replaced over the summer break.
It remains to be seen if Perez will be able to improve his pace to avoid being dumped by Red Bull at the end of the season. Marko has already suggested that a more ruthless approach will be taken if the 34-year-old continues to lag behind Verstappen in qualifying and races.
Speaking after Red Bull confirmed that Perez would be keeping his seat, Marko said: “We want to bring him back to his old form. Ricciardo also remains. Nothing will change. For 2025, the cards will be reshuffled again.”
Perez will have a few weeks to rest and recharge for the second half of the season before F1 returns with the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of next month.
