F1 News: Sergio Perez Defends His Red Bull Seat As Exit Rumours Reach New Heights
Sergio Perez has defended his position in the Red Bull team after mounting rumours of his replacement when his contract comes to an end in 2024.
There has been a huge amount of speculation over the Mexican driver's seat in the Austrian team as the gap between him and teammate Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings has been extended to 69 points, whereas, the gap to Fernando Alonso in third is now just 9 points.
During an interview with Motorsportweek.com, Perez defended his position on the team reminding fans that he has only had "two difficult races" so far in the 2023 season. He explained:
"We’re going to be working hard together with the team back home to make sure that we figure out what’s happening at the moment," he commented.
Reflecting on the last few races where he has not been where he wanted to be, Perez confirmed that he is "mentally strong" and that he will come back from it. He continued:
"It is what it is. I think it’s something that mentally you have to be strong, and I’m strong.
"I know I will overcome this difficult period of basically two races. In Monaco, yes, I made a mistake, and it was a bad weekend, but I think without that we had the pace."
There have been many names mentioned as potential replacements for Perez including Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo, and Alex Albon. The difficulty for Perez is that the Red Bull RB19 is such a dominant car that the difference between him and Verstappen is emphasised.
Both the team and the driver are remaining adamant that his position is not in danger at the moment.