Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s responses over Sergio Perez’s future changed noticeably in the wake of the Qatar Grand Prix, where the team’s hopes of winning a third consecutive constructors’ championship ended.
Previously Horner was at pains to stress Red Bull’s faith in Perez’s ability to turn his dire season around. But last night his words carried unmistakeable overtones that a parting of ways is imminent.
“We’re going to give him all the support that we can to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi next weekend,” said Horner. “And what he decides to do, that will be his decision at the end of the day.”
Horner referred to the role Perez played in helping the team win the last two constructors’ championships. However such was the team’s advantage last year that Max Verstappen single-handedly scored enough points to guarantee them the title, and Perez must shoulder a significant amount of the blame for their defeat this year.
Perez has scored so poorly that while his team mate clinched the drivers’ title two races ago, Red Bull will go to the season finale unable to win the constructors’ title.
This scenario hasn’t happened since 1982, and it took some extreme circumstances for that to happen. While Keke Rosberg won the drivers’ title for Williams, the team’s second car rotated between three different drivers, and contributed just 24% of their points total. Still, that’s little worse than Perez’s 26%.
Notwithstanding the new deal Red Bull handed Perez earlier this year, motorsport consultant Helmut Marko recently said the team’s shareholders will consider Perez’s future after the season ends. They are likely to take a dim view of their failure to deliver both titles when Verstappen is 80 points ahead in the drivers’ standings.
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But if the writing is finally on the wall for Perez, Red Bull’s choice of his replacement is less obvious. Daniel Ricciardo was clearly being eyed as a potential replacement when they rehired him just under two years ago, but that didn’t work out.
That leaves three likely options on the table for Red Bull – and potential consequences for their junior team, not to mention their departing driver.
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