There is no doubt that Sergio Perez is not as quick as Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Last year, this performance deficit was a bit too obvious as Max managed to score more than double what Perez had scored during the season. However, Red Bull was still happy as Perez managed to finish 2nd in the Championship. But the story this year has not been the same.
This season, Perez has not only fallen short of Max but also of McLaren, Ferrari and even Mercedes. This has created major problems for Red Bull Racing. For this reason, the team has been considering if they should replace Perez after the summer break.
Red Bull to have meeting to discuss Sergio Perez’s fate
After the Belgian GP, Red Bull is expected to have a meeting on Monday where they will decide who will pilot the 2nd Red Bull car beside Max Verstappen.
A few weeks earlier, a performance clause that was entered into Sergio Perez’s contract was revealed. This clause states that Perez should be less than 100 points within Max Verstappen in the Championship after the Belgian GP. In addition to this, Perez should not be more than 5 places behind Verstappen after the Belgian GP.
🚨 | Red Bull will discuss Sergio Perez’s future in a meeting on Monday.
Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda will likely replace Perez after the summer break if Red Bull decides it cannot carry on with its current driver line-up.#F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/fjQVqvtU28
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 28, 2024
As it stands, (just before the Belgian GP) Perez is 141 points behind Max and 6 places behind Max in the Championship. So if Red Bull wants to, they have every right to replace the Mexican driver during the summer break.
Who will replace Sergio Perez if Red Bull makes the difficult decision?
Ever since Daniel Ricciardo joined the Red Bull squad last year, he has been one of the candidates to drive alongside Max if the team ever choose to replace Perez. He continues to be among the candidates at the moment.
Another strong candidate to replace Perez is Liam Lawson. The New Zealander recently drove the RB20 in Silverstone for testing. Although it was a private test, it has been reported that the team were satisfied with his performance.
Lawson drove in the AlphaTauri last year when Ricciardo injured his wrist during the Dutch GP. Since then, Liam has been one of the top candidates for Red Bull Racing. Helmut Marko has made it clear that Lawson is one of the priorities for the Red Bull seat.
🚨 | Sergio Perez’ performance clauses include not being more than 100 points behind Max Verstappen after the Belgian GP.
The gap is 119 points right now.
Another one is that he cannot be more than five places behind Verstappen in the standings. #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/1FpYI3alIz
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 7, 2024
Yuki Tsunoda on the other hand does not seem to be very entertained by the fact that Red Bull would choose Liam over him. This season, Yuki has put in some impressive performances that has given him a good reputation in the paddock. However, Red Bull doesn’t seem to be seriously considering him. It is suspected that this is because of Yuki’s ties to Honda Racing who will be supplying Aston Martin from 2026.
Yuki said that it would be “weird” if Red Bull chose Liam Lawson over him to replace Perez.
Do you think Sergio Perez will be replaced after the Belgian GP? If so, who do you think will replace him? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
Rohit Kumar 
Sara Chavan