F1 News: Sergio Perez Confronts Red Bull Axing After 'Disappointing' Belgian Grand Prix

Alex Harrington | Jul 28, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez (MEX) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

In a difficult season so far for the Mexican driver, Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez voiced disappointment following a lackluster performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, raising questions about his future with the team once again. Despite starting on the front row, Perez’s race concluded in a distant eighth place, far behind his teammate Max Verstappen who managed a remarkable fifth-place finish after starting from 11th due to a grid penalty.

The race, which saw the driver struggle with the car's balance and tire management, prompted Red Bull's advisor, Helmut Marko, to announce that the team would be reassessing its driver lineup. This rumored review is set to occur on Monday during the F1 summer break, casting a shadow of uncertainty over Perez’s continuation with the team.

“I had a good qualifying, a good day,” Perez stated. However, he soon found himself battling more than just his competitors, grappling with hybrid system issues that hampered his performance.

"I was just struggling a lot on the straights. I don't know what was going on, but I had to save battery early on in the first couple of laps,” Perez explained. These struggles saw him lose positions rapidly, despite initially keeping pace with leading drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

"It was a very disappointing race. It started well, I have to say,” Perez admitted, recognizing the mismatch between his initial optimism and the ultimate outcome.  “I was just struggling a lot on the straights. I don't know what was going on, but I had to save battery early on in the first couple of laps.

“I was just very weak on the straights. And once I managed to clear it, charge the pack a bit, I was pretty much the same as Lewis and Charles, I was staying there.

“But then the second stint, jumping onto the new tyre with all the traffic behind, it just made it really, really difficult, very tricky.

“We did quite a short stint as well, so we were just out of sync, I think we were just not good with tyres today. Balance wasn't there as well, so, yeah, plenty of things to analyse.

“We were obviously very compromised by having just two sets of mediums.”

Amidst the growing speculation regarding his potential midseason departure from the MIlton Keynes outfit, Perez has decided to draw a line.

“It doesn't change anything,” he declared staunchly. “So this is the last time I will speak about the future, just to make it clear for everyone, I will not be speaking anymore, I will not answer any more questions about the future.” His focus, he clarified, remains firmly on addressing the immediate issues within the team. “I think we have too much going on in the team, a lot of things that we have to focus on, and we cannot waste any energy with all this speculation,” he stated.

Despite the disheartening performance, Perez recognized the performance of the Brackley team. “But I think Mercedes was very impressive. We couldn't match the Ferraris either, so we have plenty of stuff to understand.

“There are plenty of things that we need to analyze,” he concluded.