Marko has set a tight three-race deadline for Perez to counter his recent dip in form and secure his future.
Even with a brand-new contract in hand, Sergio Perez’s future remains uncertain.
Initially, it was thought his new contract—signed very recently despite a performance dip—was for two guaranteed years.
However, the team consultant, Dr. Helmut Marko, admitted it contained “certain clauses,” while team boss Christian Horner described it as a “one-year plus one-year” contract, implying that Perez’s stay at Red Bull beyond 2025 is merely an option contingent on meeting minimum performance standards.
And now, Marko has stated that the intention of the mid-season contract extension did not yield the desired outcome, namely giving Perez a boost in confidence—and performance.
“We extended his contract because we wanted to bring stability to our team, which unfortunately did not work. Checo made us look foolish and proved like the last time that his signing was followed by a drop in form.”
“Obviously, we are not satisfied. And Checo’s somber attitude after qualifying in Canada spoke volumes about his current distress.”
“But Checo now has three races ahead of him at three genuine circuits to prove himself.”
This is a worrying message for the 34-year-old driver, especially since Marko recently conceded that the McLaren driver duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri was superior to that of Red Bull.
“Yes, I stand by my words. That’s the way it is. Norris and Piastri are young and are always very close to each other, especially in qualifications. And both are going to improve, especially Piastri.”
A wild new rumor claims that, with the possibility of a surprise transfer of Max Verstappen to Mercedes still not ruled out, Red Bull might agree to a seat swap with Toto Wolff’s protégé, 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli.
“Antonelli is a thorough Mercedes driver,” insists Marko, “so we don’t need to think about that.”
Another rumor suggests that Verstappen could team up with Antonelli at Mercedes starting from the beginning of the new regulatory cycle in 2026, jeopardizing George Russell’s career.
“That’s still so far away,” replies Marko, without denying this possibility.
“Let’s focus on the upcoming races and see if we can win the world championship again. Our biggest advantage is that other teams are taking points from each other, and I hope that continues.”
Perez on Notice: Three Races to Prove His Worth. Perez on Notice: Three Races to Prove His Worth
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