Horner Saddened by Perez’s Struggles at Red Bull

Red Bull admits its decision to extend Perez’s contract has not paid off, with Horner expressing regret over the Mexican’s challenges.

Red Bull has admitted that the decision to renew Sergio Perez’s contract earlier this season did not have the desired impact, while speculation continues about his future in Formula 1.

Perez entered the final race of the weekend in Abu Dhabi with particular focus on his seat, as rumors swirl that Red Bull has decided to replace him next season.

The Mexican driver has had a challenging season, sitting 275 points behind his teammate Max Verstappen, leaving Red Bull in third place in the Constructors’ Championship.

However, Perez has remained adamant that the contract he signed in June guarantees he will retain his seat alongside Verstappen until 2025.

While Perez’s public stance has remained firm, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner reiterated that the matter would be discussed in a meeting on Monday, at the end of the season.

“We have an end-of-season with decisions to make. First, the test with Yuki Tsunoda has been planned for some time.”

“It has been scheduled for about three months. So, it’s something that was already planned.”

“Now, of course, Checo is our driver. He remains our driver and under contract with the team.”

“Obviously, this season has not gone as expected, especially with Checo’s performance since Monaco. It has been very, very difficult for him.”

“So, inevitably, once this race is over, we’ll sit down and discuss the future.”

“But Checo has been a very important part of our team. He has done a great job for us.”

“When you think back, it’s only three years since that 2021 finale, two Constructors’ Championships to which he also contributed.”

“There is a huge amount of respect for Checo within the team. And no one likes to see him struggling as he has. But we’ll sit down and discuss things after the season.”

When asked if Red Bull had made a decision on whether to continue with Perez, Horner replied: “We are fortunate to have a fantastic pool of talent.”

“It was great to see Isack Hadjar do a test during FP1. We have two talented drivers at RB F1.”

“But as long as the situation with Sergio and what he wants to do remains unclear, everything else is pure speculation.”

Perez’s continued insistence that he will remain a Red Bull driver next season is due to the extension of a contract with favorable terms for him. Perhaps too favorable? Red Bull seems likely to force their driver to leave his position, potentially through a large financial compensation.

Horner obviously did not confirm this, but acknowledged that extending the contract of the six-time F1 winner in the hope that it would help him regain his form as his results began to dip did not materialize.

“Obviously, at the time, Sergio was performing extremely well. I think he had four podiums in the first five races.”

“And in order to settle him and extend that form for the rest of the season, we chose to sign early, which obviously didn’t work. So, you know, that’s just life sometimes.”

“I think, you know, Checo, you have to look beyond this year for the contribution he has made to our team. He has been an excellent team player. He’s a great person.”

“He is extremely popular within the team. He’s worked very hard over the four years he’s been with us.”

“He’s played a key role in the Constructors’ Championships we’ve won, the five Grand Prix victories he’s secured in our car.”

“It’s the most successful pairing we’ve ever had, finishing first and second in the Drivers’ Championship last year.”

“So, I think no one is more frustrated with the results than Checo himself, given his own high standards. And, you know, this has obviously been painful for him and the team.”

“We’ve done our best to support him, and we’ll continue to do so until the chequered flag on Sunday, where we hope he can achieve a good result in the final race of the year.”