Rumors about Sergio Pérez’s standing with Red Bull refuse to go away.
The 2024 Formula 1 season started with the motive force on a contract that expired on the finish of the marketing campaign, and rampant hypothesis that he might discover himself on the surface wanting in earlier than 2025. With 4 drivers for 3 spots — counting Pérez, Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, and Daniel Ricciardo as these 4 drivers — Red Bull and their sister workforce Visa Cash App RB F1 Team confronted some looming choices.
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, it appeared some choices have been made. Red Bull introduced a brand new contract with Pérez that would preserve him in his present seat by the 2026 season, after which phrase got here that VCARB was retaining Tsunoda, exercising an possibility on the motive force for the 2025 marketing campaign.
So, now three of the seats have been set for 2025 — on condition that Max Verstappen’s present seat at Red Bull is his so long as he needs it — with simply Ricciardo and Lawson as potential choices for the ultimate slot.
Or so we thought.
Because a lot has modified since then, Pérez is within the midst of a troublesome run of type that Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has described as “unsustainable,” as the motive force has secured simply 11 factors since that announcement. He completed outdoors the factors in Canada and final weekend within the British Grand Prix and managed simply an eighth-place end within the Spanish Grand Prix. His greatest end result over the previous a number of race weekends got here at Red Bull Ring when Pérez completed seventh.
Right behind Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg, whose 16 factors since Montreal have seen the Haas driver outscore Pérez (and Charles Leclerc for that matter, however that could be a dialogue for one more time).
As a end result, Pérez is now below renewed stress, thanks not simply to his current poor type but additionally as a result of 2024 just isn’t 2023 in Formula 1.
Consider this. The British Grand Prix was the twelfth race weekend of the 2024 F1 marketing campaign, that means we now have reached the midway level. Here is how the highest 4 groups sit within the Constructors’ Championship standings.
Standings on the midway level (12 races) this yr:
Red Bull: 373
Ferrari: 302
McLaren: 295
Mercedes: 221
Aston Martin: 68
How have been the top-five groups aligned on the halfway level final yr?
Standings on the midway level (11 races) final yr:
Red Bull: 452
Mercedes: 223
Aston Martin: 184
Ferrari: 167
McLaren: 87
Things are a lot completely different now. Red Bull wants each Verstappen and Pérez to carry out at a excessive stage to fend off their rivals.
And in the mean time, they aren’t getting that from Pérez.
“[Pérez] is aware of it’s unsustainable to not be scoring factors – we now have to be scoring factors in that automotive, and he is aware of that,” mentioned Horner after the British Grand Prix. “He is aware of his function and his goal, so no person is extra keen than Checo to search out his type once more.
“It’s one thing we’re aware of, that to win the Constructors’ Championship you want each automobiles scoring.”
If that was not sufficient stress on Pérez, the ever-quotable Dr. Helmut Marko has added to the stress the motive force have to be feeling.
Speaking with 247 Grand Prix this week the Red Bull Senior Advisor mentioned “exit clauses” in all Red Bull contracts, and the way a call on Pérez will come throughout the summer time break, following the subsequent two races.
“All Formula 1 contracts have exit clauses, most of them associated to efficiency or let’s say for the highest drivers,” mentioned Marko. “As I discussed earlier than, we can have an analysis throughout the summer time break after which we are going to decide”
As far as who would possibly substitute him Marko deflected the dialogue away from Lawson — who’s driving the RB20 at the moment at Silverstone in a filming session — and in direction of Tsunoda.
“First we now have to see,” added Marko. “Lawson is testing at Silverstone on Thursday. And yeah, so two extra races and there can be extra outings with Lawson. There’s additionally Yuki Tsunoda who’s doing very nicely.”
Those two races? The Hungarian Grand Prix the subsequent weekend, and the Belgian Grand Prix the next weekend. Those have been each robust weekends for Pérez a season in the past. He solely certified ninth in Hungary however labored his manner by the sphere to complete third. Then at Spa the next race weekend he certified third for the Grand Prix and picked up a spot on the observe to complete second.
Those results added 33 points to Pérez’s account, serving to to ease issues after he endured an identical down stretch of races.
A pair of drives like these from a yr in the past these subsequent two race weekends will go a great distance in direction of easing the present issues about Pérez at Red Bull. Results comparable to these may also support Red Bull as they attempt to fend off groups like Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes who’ve been nipping at their heels these previous few weeks.
However, if Pérez’s struggles proceed, the door does appear open to him being changed following the summer time break.
As for who would substitute him — whether or not Lawson, Ricciardo, or Tsunoda — that is still to be seen. But Marko mentioning Tsunoda when requested about Lawson appears, a minimum of to this author, to be noteworthy.
