Helmut Marko was clearly unhappy with Sergio Perez after the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix. Checo was actually off to a good start when he qualified to start on the front row alongside Charles Leclerc. Unfortunately, Perez did not manage to hold his position during the race. In fact, he lost out to all the drivers on the top 4 teams.
This has given Perez a lot to worry about as the drivers and teams head into the summer break. Helmut Marko was especially unhappy after the Belgian Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez faces the wrath of Helmut Marko
After the Belgian Grand Prix, Helmut Marko spoke to the media where he said:
“That is not what we expected from him. He completely collapsed, especially in the last stint”
If it was just this one weekend where he failed to perform, it would not be a big issue. However, Checo has failed to meet Red Bull’s expectations in almost every race this year. When the season first started, Red Bull seemed to be far off from the rest of the teams. During this time, he was able to get a few top 5 finishes which saw him maintain 5th place on the Championship table. But the story completely changed from Miami.
🚨 | Helmut Marko on Sergio Perez’s performance at the Belgian Grand Prix:
“That is not what we expected from him. He completely collapsed, especially in the last stint,” 😬👀
Do you think Sergio Perez will remain in Red Bull after the summer break? 👇#F1 #Formula1
— Motorsport Hour (@MotorsportHour) July 28, 2024
Ever since the Miami Grand Prix, Perez has not been able to finish within the top 7. This is because McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes brought some upgrades to their cars, allowing them to challenge Max Verstappen for race wins.
There is no doubt that Perez is not able to keep up with Verstappen’s pace. But the least Red Bull expects is to finish in the top 5. The last time Perez finished in the top 5 was in Miami.
After the Belgian GP, key members of Red Bull Racing’s Management are scheduled to meet to discuss Perez’s future in the team.
Sergio Perez’s seat at risk
Just a few weeks ago, Red Bull and Sergio Perez came to terms for a 2-year contract extension. This should ideally see him race with the team until the 2026 season. However, there is a clause that allows Red Bull to terminate Perez early.
Red Bull has entered a performance clause in Sergio Perez’s contract that requires him to be within 100 points of Max Verstappen after the Belgian GP. Another condition is that the Mexican driver should not be more than 5 places behind Max in the Drivers Championship.
🚨 | Sergio Perez not willing to answer any questions regarding his future with Red Bull. 👀
“Like I said before, I won’t be responding anymore to the speculations on my future, I’m here fully committed to the team.”
“I think as a team we have other work to focus on to get…
— Motorsport Hour (@MotorsportHour) July 28, 2024
These conditions seem to be fair considering that Max and Checo drive the same car. However, Perez has not satisfied these conditions. After the 2024 Belgian GP, Perez is behind Verstappen by 146 points. He is also 6 places behind his teammate in the Championship. This allows Red Bull to replace him during this summer break.
Perez’s poor performances have made Red Bull vulnerable in the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren are now just 42 points behind the Austrian outfit. So Red Bull has to do whatever it can to have both cars at the front, fighting for podiums. It looks as though replacing Perez is the answer to this.
Do you think Christian Horner and Helmut Marko will finally pull the trigger to replace Sergio Perez? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
Rohit Kumar 
Sara Chavan