F1 News: Red Bull Casts Major Doubt On Sergio Perez's Future - 'Meeting After Abu Dhabi'

Saajan Jogia | 2 Hours Ago

Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez talks to media at the Formula 1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that the team's shareholders will decide the driver lineups for both Red Bull Racing and VCARB following a report to be submitted after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Marko noted the significant performance gap between Sergio Perez and his teammate Max Verstappen, currently at 251 points, and acknowledged that Red Bull is unlikely to reclaim the Constructors' Championship this season. This could be a major factor under consideration while deciding Perez's future, despite his contract lasting until the end of 2025.

Red Bull suffered a major setback as the RB20 F1 car developed balance issues, with Perez feeling the impact the most. McLaren's resurgence, coupled with consistent performances allowed it to overtake Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. While Verstappen showed signs of recovery, Perez struggled to improve, further fueling rumors about his potential ousting from the team.

The difference in performance between the two Red Bull drivers became a matter of concern as the Dutchman has single-handedly carried the team in the Constructors' Championship, bringing in a significant chunk of the points on each race weekend while Perez's contributions remained in single digits, and sometimes none. However, the matter became critical after Red Bull lost the second spot to Ferrari after the United States Grand Prix.

Although Verstappen's victory in Brazil, where he started from 17th, proved to be a silver lining for Red Bull by showing it could still regain its position in the Constructors' Championship, Perez's results were disappointing. The Mexican driver's 11th-place finish in Brazil, followed by 10th place in Las Vegas, meant Red Bull's gap to Ferrari in second now stands at 29 points, while the gap to championship leader McLaren is 53 points.

Marko recently disclosed that VCARB's Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson were under evaluation for a potential future seat at Red Bull. He has now acknowledged that Red Bull's chances of reclaiming the Constructors' Championship this season appear slim. Speaking to ORF, as reported by Motorsport.com after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where Verstappen won his fourth world championship, Marko said:

"There will be a meeting after Abu Dhabi and the result of this meeting will be presented to the shareholders and they will then decide what the driver situation for both teams will look like for next year.

"I don't know the exact gap now, but I think Checo has over 200 points less than Max. And then it's clear that the constructors' title is no longer possible…so if Sergio was anywhere near (Lewis) Hamilton and (George) Russell or Ferrari or even McLaren, then we would be well ahead again."