Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez will be wanting the 2024 Formula 1 season to come to an end as quickly as possible.
Sergio Perez has had a campaign to forget and the Qatar Grand Prix has been another difficult event for the 34-year-old.
Perez was eliminated from the first session of qualifying once again for the Sprint Race.
Red Bull decided to start Perez from the pit lane, but he was overtaken by Franco Colapinto before he even reached the first corner.
The Mexican driver essentially used the race as an additional practice session, pitting for a new front wing right at the end of the 19-lap Sprint Race.
The data he gathered may have helped Max Verstappen improve his qualifying performance, who went from starting P6 for Saturday’s race to taking a provisional pole position.
That was taken away from Verstappen for impeding George Russell on a cooldown lap, but was an unexpected positive from a weekend that’s looked very tricky for Red Bull.
Perez is under serious pressure at Red Bull and a meeting will take place after the season ends to determine whether he’ll remain with the team in 2025 and beyond.
Jenson Button has rejected one excuse Perez has been using for his poor performances and ultimately, a team of Red Bull’s calibre can’t afford to retain a driver underperforming to this level.
Sam Bird was speaking to Rosanna Tennant on the Chequered Flag Podcast, and they discussed Perez’s future and whether Red Bull are doing the right thing by putting him under so much pressure.
Red Bull’s treatment of Sergio Perez becoming ‘unhealthy’
Tennant was speaking about the pressure on Perez and said: “Do you think also, if you take a step back, I don’t think it’s very healthy for a driver to just be continually asked about their future and their performance?
“And actually, there’s a level of pastoral care. Christian Horner, by keeping him on, is just subjecting Sergio Perez to more scrutiny. And that is not good for an athlete. It’s not good for a human, actually.”
Bird replied: “No, it’s not. It’s unhealthy. It’s a difficult place to be.
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“I feel for him in that respect. It’s not fun. He will be questioning when he goes home, he’ll be looking at himself in the mirror and thinking, am I good enough now? Do I want this enough anymore?
“I’ve made millions and millions in the bank, do I need to be subjecting myself to this ridicule, week in, week out?
“He’ll know what everybody’s saying. And, he also knows that he’s been a race-winning driver.
“I think a change would do him some good, a fresh start, whether that be in Formula 1 or a different racing series. That is if he wants to race at all anymore.”
Red Bull’s lack of alternatives could save Sergio Perez’s seat
Perez managed to reach Q3 on Saturday and will start Sunday’s race from ninth, but he was still nearly a second slower than Verstappen.
Even Fernando Alonso in an incredibly disappointing Aston Martin set a faster time than Perez although his race pace is unlikely to be any match for the Red Bull.
However, the three drivers linked with Perez’s seat – Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda – have all had middling weekends at best.
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Liam Lawson is Red Bull’s preferred candidate, but his strong performance in Sprint qualifying was quickly undone in the race when he sunk to P16.
Tsunoda could only qualify 14th for Sunday’s Grand Prix, while Colapinto has never got to grips with his Williams on the rapid Lusail circuit.
This leaves Red Bull in a difficult position but taking a gamble on Lawson may end up being the most logical solution and take Perez out of the firing line after another difficult season.
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