Sergio Perez was the third fastest this week during the Belgian qualifying and started second from the grid. However, this performance, similar to his last many races, was disappointing. Furthermore, the questions regarding his seat remain in the air, and whether he will be axed soon is being debated.
Sergio Perez speaks up after the race
After the never-ending rumors about the future of Sergio Perez at Red Bull, he broke his silence and said:
“Like I said before, I won’t be responding anymore to the speculations on my future; I’m here fully committed to the team.”
🚨 | Sergio Perez not willing to answer any questions regarding his future with Red Bull. 👀
— Motorsport Hour (@MotorsportHour) July 28, 2024
“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…
Perez started the Belgian Grand Prix with hopes to overtake the pole sitter Charles Leclerc on the long run to the first corner, like last year. However, he lost to Lewis Hamilton, who quickly fell out of the DRS range and struggled for straight-line speed due to low battery.
He admitted that it was a “very disappointing race.”. He spoke about how the strategy and balance affected his results.
Despite that, Perez is confident he will drive to Zandvoort post-summer break and need not worry about his seat.
“I think as a team we have other work to focus on to get ourselves to the second half of the season. I had enough of these speculations; I already said everything I had to; it’s time to regroup with the team and get back to it.”
Checo’s performance clauses in his Red Bull deal
Red Bull has gained the reputation of ruthless mid-year axing, a few examples being Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon along with Nyck de Vries from the Red Bull sister team Alphatauri (currently Visa Cash App RB).
Hence, despite the poor performances of Sergio Perez, he was able to re-sign with the team for a 2-year contract.
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Helmut Marko, the Red Bull advisor, spoke up about Checo’s disappointing races. In conversations with ServusTV, he spoke about the importance of having both Red Bull cars outperforming competitors like McLaren to secure the constructors’ championship. Marko commented, as quoted by Motorsport:
“Sergio knows that for the constructors’ championship we have to have both cars ahead of McLaren if possible, and that hasn’t been the case in the last few races.
Since the Chinese Grand Prix, his teammate Max Verstappen has accumulated 129 points, including three victories, whereas Perez has only gained 21 points. Peter Bayer, CEO of Red Bull’s sister team, VCARB, revealed that Perez’s contract includes a performance clause. This clause could result in Perez’s departure if he stays more than 100 points behind Verstappen, with the current gap being 141 points.
Do you think Perez should retain his seat after the summer break? Comment down below.
Rohit Kumar