This week was crucial for Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull. With only 20 points scored in the last 4 races, compared to the 58 points by Max Verstappen, Perez did not seem to grasp the risks and simply was not at the same level. A discussion took place this Monday between the Mexican driver and his team principals to discuss and make decisions.
If recent speculations suggested that Daniel Ricciardo was going to take Sergio Perez’s place (the driver who was in discussions with Horner and Mekies after the Belgian GP on Sunday evening), it was especially this week of Red Bull tests with several drivers at Silverstone on Tuesday and Wednesday, which could present a significant risk of change if Perez was not competitive either.
However, the reigning world champion team seems to want to continue with Sergio Perez for the rest of the season even before these tests at Silverstone. This is the announcement that was made to the Red Bull factory employees on Monday evening.
« Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver, despite all the recent speculations. We look forward to seeing him perform on circuits where he has performed well before, after the summer break,” Horner said in front of hundreds of Red Bull factory employees.
An unclear announcement
This announcement, which appears to come from Red Bull employees in contact with the Dutch magazine De Telegraaf, should be taken with a grain of salt. Indeed, Horner did not communicate directly with the media. While this announcement seems to confirm Perez for the Grand Prix races after the summer break, it does not guarantee him to drive in that position for the last 10 races of the season, or even for the next season.
Continuity rather than risk, in view of the championship?
If this decision still surprises, considering Sergio Perez’s poor performances compared to the phenomenon and triple world champion, Max Verstappen, it should be recalled that the contenders to replace Perez, mainly Ricciardo and Tsunoda, also cannot guarantee Red Bull to be as fast or even faster than the current Mexican driver, in a car that seems very demanding to drive.
We notably recall that before Perez, Red Bull long sought a teammate for Max Verstappen with mid-season demotions of Alex Albon and then Pierre Gasly.
With the recent increase in competitiveness in F1, notably McLaren’s recent doubles and Mercedes’ wins, Red Bull has undoubtedly chosen continuity over taking risks.
