Sergio Perez evades the question about his future at Red Bull
The Mexican has been asked about his future at Red Bull as his contract expires in 2024. He assures that he is not worried about it for the moment and that discussions will start at the beginning of next year.
138 points difference, 11 victories to 2: Sergio Perez is getting a lesson from his teammate Max Verstappen this season. After promising early races, the Mexican has collapsed weekend after weekend, failing five times in a row to make it into Q3.
With a contract expiring in 2024, the future of the Mexican driver is more uncertain than ever. There has been talk that he could be replaced as early as next year if Daniel Ricciardo performs well upon his return to AlphaTauri. Today, this hypothesis takes a hit with the Australian’s injury, but Perez is not out of the woods yet.
Discussions will begin in early 2024
However, the former Racing Point driver does not seem to be overly concerned about his future and simply dodges every question on the subject. When asked in a press conference, he repeats that negotiations with Red Bull will only start next year.
« On my side, there’s still a year and a half left. So I think there’s nothing to change. It’s more important now to focus on the upcoming races and finish the season in style. And then we’ll start discussing at the beginning of next year, what is the plan moving forward. »
This season, Sergio Perez has struggled with the dominant RB19. The Mexican has had difficulty taming it, and despite his second place in the standings, he is the driver who suffers the most in comparison to his teammate. He explains that he had to adapt to the car, which does not particularly fit his driving style.
« I think that every driver, during their career or each season, you know, they get improvements to the car that adapt more easily to their driving style than others. Sometimes, it will be necessary to adapt to them. And it’s something we all face during the season with upgrades. And I didn’t manage to adapt as quickly as I should have, you know, and I had to change my driving style a little bit to adapt more to the car than at the beginning of the season, for example, when things were progressing more. But it’s something that most drivers go through at some point. »
Max Verstappen, on his side, has rejected the accusations from his competitors who believe that the RB19 was designed exclusively for him. “« It’s bullshit,” exclaimed the two-time world champion.
