Sergio Perez and his performance in the Red Bull car have not been to their full potential. Multiple finishes below P5, DNFs, and penalties have stirred up speculation of his mid-year replacement. Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, decides to determine the Mexican driver’s future in the Milton-Keynes team.
The Fate of Sergio Perez in Red Bull
Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal spoke up in recent media interviews after the Belgian Grand Prix about and said:
“Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver despite recent speculation and we look forward to seeing him perform at tracks he has previously excelled at after the summer break.”
Hence, the plan for Red Bull is to see Sergio Perez’s performance in races that he has previously shown strong performances at, and then analyse and make the next decision accordingly
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Christian Horner decided the Mexican’s future, instead of Helmut Marko. Marko was responsible for the infamous mid-year Red Bull driver swap last year, so this decision by Horner is vital to Perez’s future. Rumours suggested that Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson might replace Perez after the summer break. Sky Sports reporter Craig Slater commented on this:
“It was a decision because, even though Verstappen is in a comfortable position in the driver standings, McLaren are really closing in on Red Bull in the constructors’ championship… It is Perez’s uneven points contribution compared to Verstappen’s that has weakened their position there. It has been Horner’s decision ultimately and he has decided that the least disruptive thing to do is sticking with Perez and he expects an improvement after the summer break.”
Perez gives a fiery response
Perez has responded negatively to the backlash he has been receiving from the public, he clarified and said:
“I won’t be responding to any further speculation… I am here with the team, fully committed”
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Upon this, the Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko finally acknowledged and publicly announced Perez’s stay at the Milton Keynes team instead of trying to replace him, like the previous drivers.
“Perez remains. We want to bring him back to the old form. Ricciardo stays too. Nothing will change.”
The Mexican driver continues his position as the second Red Bull driver, and it seems that the team has no plan on replacing him or Ricciardo yet. Therefore, Sergio Perez might likely complete his two additional years at Red Bull despite his weak performances in the past six to seven races, despite having one of the fastest cars on the grid.
Rohit Kumar