F1 News: Red Bull Insider Reveals Sergio Perez Seat 'Evaluation'

Saajan Jogia | Jul 12, 2024

Christian Horner and Helmut Marko / Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has admitted that Sergio Perez's seat could be in danger as the 34-year-old F1 driver is to undergo an 'evaluation' during the summer break due to a significant performance drop in the recent Grands Prix.

Perez has only scored 15 points in the last six Grands Prix, allowing other teams to get closer to Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship. Despite being in P1, courtesy of Max Verstappen's 7 wins out of the 12 races thus far, Ferrari trails in P2 by a mere 71 points.

Reflecting on Perez's performance at the British Grand Prix last weekend, his outing was marred by difficulties. On Saturday, he was eliminated in Q1 after losing control of his RB20 on the wet track, which left him stranded in the gravel. Starting from the pit lane on Sunday, Perez struggled to make significant progress and ultimately finished in 17th place.

Perez's contract with Red Bull was renewed last month, but as Marko confirms, it includes an exit clause that allows the team to make performance-based decisions. Speaking about Perez's future at Red Bull, he told GrandPrix247.com:

“All Formula 1 contracts have exit clauses, most of them related to performance - or let’s say for the top drivers. As I mentioned before, we will have an evaluation during the summer break, and then we will make a decision.”

The upcoming races in Hungary and Belgium will be crucial for Perez's evaluation, potentially shaping the discussions about his future with Red Bull. These two races could be the most important of his Formula 1 career, determining whether he retains or loses his seat.

Perez understands the gravity of the situation and, following the British GP, acknowledged that he won't let contract discussions distract him. Instead, he is focusing on the next two races. He told the media:

“I know where I am, in terms of contract and that sort of thing.

“I cannot let it be a distraction because I need to focus on the next two weekends - which are the priority - and work together with the team to get out of this difficult period.”