Perez under pressure to maintain Red Bull seat

Sergio Perez will need more than a contract to start as Red Bull’s driver next season, as he would have to shut down the criticisms he is currently facing. This is coming as Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, has said that the lack of points from Perez from recent races is “unsustainable,” something the Mexican driver has agreed with. 

Perez signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull in June, which would have seen him stay with the team up to 2026. But it now seems that his recent performance could force Red Bull to activate a certain clause in his contract that could see him depart the team at the end of the year.

Horner gave his opinion about Perez’s performance after the British GP, where he earned no points after finishing 17th. The Red Bull team boss said: “He knows it’s unsustainable to not be scoring points; we have to be scoring points in that car, and he knows that. He knows his role and his target, so nobody is more eager than Checo to get back and find his form again.”

In his past six outings, he didn’t earn a point four times, two of which he did not finish the race. Currently ranked sixth on the leaderboard, Perez has earned a total of 118 points this season, while his teammate, Max Verstappen, has earned 104 points in his last six races. 

While Red Bull is almost assured of winning the World Championship this year, the team continues to lose its lead on the constructor’s standing every race day due to Perez’s lack of points, which is why they want him out. 

Amidst the pressure, rumors emerged that the next two races could ultimately define Perez’s future with the team after a comment from him. But he has come out to clarify what he meant, shutting down speculations that his final days with Red Bull were nigh: “There’s nothing related to that. Obviously, I cannot talk about my contract. What I said was that the next two races are important to me. I want to go on holiday with a good spirit, and I think it’s good for my side of the garage to go with a good spirit. I wasn’t talking about anything else. I’m fully focused on fully delivering. I will be here and here again next year, and that’s nothing different. I’m just fully committed to myself.”

There is no denying that Red Bull could take a drastic step if Perez fails to impress in the coming races. Some names are already being mentioned as possible replacements, including  Liam Lawson, a Red Bull reserve driver, and Daniel Ricciardo, but there is no official word from Red Bull regarding any of that. 

For now, Perez’s main focus will be on seeing how he can improve his form and help his team stay on tip for the remainder of the season.