It is becoming increasingly difficult to see how Sergio Perez will be retained by Red Bull for 2025. While the Mexican has a contract, as we have come to see, they are meaningless when it really boils down to it.
The message from Red Bull is clear: “Checo is our driver next year” – only that might not necessarily be the case.
Perez continues to disappoint to the point that team boss Christian Horner has been left exasperated, having stuck by the 34-year-old until now.
Horner handed him a career lifeline in 2021 when Perez was shown the door by Racing Point, and the team principal has continued to defend his poor results. The aforementioned contract extension was offered early in the campaign in the hope that job security would elicit more performance from his struggling driver.
This year, it was made clear that Perez needed to have a better season than he did in 2023, when he was steamrollered by Max Verstappen. However, he has not had a podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April, and his last victory was in Azerbaijan in April 2023.
It should be reflected that a strong drive in Baku this term came close to breaking Perez’s podium drought, until late contact with Carlos Sainz caused both drivers to miss out on silverware, having been battling over third place.
Perez currently finds himself in eighth place in the drivers’ championship – a staggering 242 points behind his team-mate.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20, sprays mud as he tries to rejoin after a spin
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Verstappen’s epic victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix looks to have secured him a fourth straight world title, which he can achieve next time out in Las Vegas.
As Red Bull turns its attention to the constructors’ championship, where it sits 49 points behind McLaren, there is a case to be made that Perez’s failures are costing not only team points but are also hitting its workforce in the pocket.
The financial structure at Red Bull means that each member of staff will be denied a win bonus of at least £10,000 if they fail to secure the constructors’ title. Put crudely, looking at the results of the squad’s two drivers, it is easy where to point the finger of blame.
There has long been a theory that Red Bull persisted with Perez due to the lucrative endorsements he brought. Yet money in the team’s coffers is no consolation to a disgruntled workforce who have missed out on a new kitchen or family…
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