Sergio Perez is under increasing pressure as Red Bull evaluates his performance ahead of crucial upgrades at the Austin Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez could still lose his seat at Red Bull Racing for next season.
Before the team’s overall performance dipped mid-2024, the gap between Perez and Max Verstappen was so significant that Red Bull seriously considered dropping him immediately, as revealed by Christian Horner a few days ago.
The Mexican, however, survived the Formula 1 summer break in August, despite fresh rumors just days ago suggesting Perez might announce his retirement during his home Grand Prix later this month.
The 34-year-old hit back forcefully, responding with a meme from The Wolf of Wall Street in which the actor declares: “I’m not leaving!”
However, in recent days, Christian Horner and Dr. Helmut Marko have reiterated that there is no guarantee Perez’s 2025-2026 contract will be honored.
Horner admitted that Liam Lawson is auditioning at RB F1 for one of the two seats in 2025, either with Red Bull Racing or RB F1.
And Marko confirmed today that this is indeed the case.
“There is no guarantee in Formula 1 unless you perform accordingly. We all know Checo has his fluctuations. Especially when the car changes in the short term, he needs more time to adapt.”
“We’ll see how he responds to the updates in Austin. If the car stabilizes and it helps him as he says, he’ll have nothing to worry about. Otherwise, we’ll need to consider our options for 2025 with our young drivers.”
Marko openly acknowledges that McLaren’s driver pairing is overall stronger than Red Bull’s.
“That’s certainly a factor explaining why McLaren is stronger than us at the moment. In terms of speed, Checo can do it. He just has fluctuations that are becoming increasingly unpredictable.”
1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve believes that Formula 1 cars designed by Adrian Newey truly shine only in the hands of a great driver.
“In my experience, Adrian Newey has always built very precise cars. They’re not for everyone. He designs cars for exceptional drivers, while the average driver will struggle with them. Exceptional drivers have a narrow window to work within, but they perform extremely well in that window.”
Thus, with his personal struggles in driving, coupled with the team’s performance drop, internal issues, and swirling speculation about his future, Perez admits that 2024 has been “really tough” so far.
“Imagine having a car with so many limitations that you start the weekend knowing there’s nothing you can do about it. I felt like I could crash at any moment because I had no control over the car.”
“And then there’s the media pressure that Red Bull puts on you. Everyone—people around you, the whole world—is judging you, thinking you’re not as good as you used to be.”
“This year has been exceptionally tough. My teammate was winning, doing well, and every time I had problems.”
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Red Bull’s Perez Faces Austin Trial in Battle for 2025 Red Bull’s Perez Faces Austin Trial in Battle for 2025
