Ahead of the British Grand Prix, Dr. Helmut Marko openly acknowledged the immense pressure mounting on Sergio Perez despite the Mexican’s recent contract extension with Red Bull Racing for 2025 and beyond. According to the 81-year-old, Perez still has everything to lose despite having a secure future on paper. And barely a day after Marko’s massive revelation, Perez committed yet another costly mistake during the qualifying session at Silverstone.
During the first part of qualifying at Silverstone, the drivers were obliged to take part on a partially damp track. Meaning, the margin for error was so small, and somehow, Perez ended up on the wrong side of it. Minutes into the session, Perez found himself hopelessly beached on the gravel. And out of desperation, all he could do was cry for the marshalls’ help, urging them to push his car out of the gravel.
SERGIO PEREZ IS BEACHED IN Q1 😳
The Red Bull driver is OUT of qualifying after causing a red flag on the track. pic.twitter.com/BbAJoRr0cG
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) July 6, 2024
When the marshalls refused to help, Perez asked his race engineer, “Can we push it forward? All I need is to be pushed back. There is tarmac over there.” However, his race engineer responded with a clear no. He said:
“That would count as mechanical assistance. We wouldn’t be allowed to rejoin qualifying. That’s it.”
Soon after, the cameras panned towards Christian Horner, who was seen nodding his head in disappointment.
Sergio Perez paving the way for Daniel Ricciardo’s return to Red Bull?
Ahead of his return to Formula 1 in 2023, Ricciardo was urged to deliver at VCARB to have a fair shot at securing a place alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing in 2025. However, the Australian struggled to consistently deliver good results, which raised questions over Horner’s decision to bring him back into the Red Bull family.
🚨 | Sergio Perez is in danger of losing his seat at Red Bull.
If Ricciardo can confirm the recent upward trend at Silverstone, Budapest and Spa and Perez does not improve significantly, Daniel could replace the Mexican in 2025.
“We’ll know more by the summer break,” says… pic.twitter.com/BMVWV3K9CO
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 5, 2024
Amidst rising concerns, Ricciardo has turned his fate around with a series of strong performances this year. And according to reports, all Ricciardo needs to do is maintain this run of form through the first half of this season until the Belgian Grand Prix. “We’ll know more by the summer break,” Marko said, hinting that Red Bull will not hesitate to terminate Perez’s contract for Ricciardo, and a decision could be made as early as the summer break.
Sara Chavan