F1 Rumor: Sergio Perez Red Bull Future To Be Decided At Red Bull Meeting On Monday

Saajan Jogia | Jul 28, 2024

May 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez (11) during a press in advance of the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

It is reported that Sergio Perez's Red Bull future will be decided after the Belgian Grand Prix on Monday at a meeting with the team management. The Mexican driver's significant drop in form in the recent Grands Prix has prompted the team to reconsider his position.

Perez has struggled to match the performance of his teammate Max Verstappen in the last few races after the Chinese GP, causing the gap between the two drivers to widen to 141 points. This disparity has adversely affected Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship, especially in light of McLaren's resurgence in Formula 1.

Motorsport.com reported that, as per Red Bull's CEO Peter Bayer, both Red Bull and its junior team were always prepared for "quiet discussions" regarding their driver lineup dilemmas. Perez’s contract reportedly includes a performance clause that allows for his release if he falls more than 100 points behind Verstappen. This is implementable despite his recent contract extension with Red Bull last month for 2025.

Currently, the 34-year-old driver does not fulfill the criteria considering the points difference with Verstappen, which can't be filled even if Perez sets the fastest lap of the race at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and goes on to win the race.

Red Bull senior advisor Marko recently admitted that the outfit would prefer in-house drivers waiting to prove themselves in the premier class instead of looking for external replacements. He emphasized that reserve driver Liam Lawson was next in line for a seat alongside Verstappen, in case Perez got dropped by Red Bull.

Speaking ahead of qualifying in Belgium to Red Bull’s TV channel, ServusTV, Marko opened up on the Constructors' Championship and the Monday meeting with Perez. He said:

“Sergio knows that for the constructors' championship we have to have both cars ahead of if possible, and that hasn't been the case in the last few races.”

When asked to reveal Perez’s goal for the weekend at Spa, Marko answered:

“No, the goal is to win both the drivers' and constructors' championships, and we'll discuss the best way to achieve that on Monday.”

The 81-year-old advisor also praised Perez for his qualifying performance, which will see him start in P2 for the race, while Verstappen will start in P11 due to the penalty he attracted for using up a fifth engine. Marko said after the Belgian GP qualifying:

“[Qualifying session] showed that Max is absolutely the best, especially in these conditions.

“But it is also crucial that McLaren was not as strong in the wet as they will probably be in the dry [race]. That means our starting position has improved and it will be a very exciting race.

“But it's great to see Sergio, who has really improved. He will start on the front row due to the relegation and now things are looking much better again.”

However, when asked about Perez's contract extension despite his disappointing performance, he added:

“Yes, but we don't need the lows.

“We can only live with that with difficulty.”