Red Bull Racing would have been well aware that a decision is looming about Sergio Perez’s future amidst the wild celebrations at the Las Vegas Grand Prix after Max Verstappen clinched his fourth world championship.
Max Verstappen didn’t set the world alight with his P5 finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but as he has done all season, he came home exactly where he needed to in a car that couldn’t compete for a victory on this occasion.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was quick to hail Verstappen after the race before attention briefly turned to Sergio Perez.
The Mexican driver failed to progress out of Q1 for the fifth time this season, being beaten by both RB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson.
What followed was another recovery driver that has become synonymous with the 34-year-old, even when he finished 2nd in the Drivers’ Championship last year.
Unfortunately, unlike the 2023 campaign, Red Bull don’t have a significant advantage over the rest of the grid.
It meant Perez snuck into the points ahead of Fernando Alonso but watched Red Bull lose further ground on McLaren and Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship battle.
Perez faces being replaced before the 2025 season as potential clauses in his contract would allow Red Bull to let him go after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Horner was asked about Perez on Sky Sports F1 after the race.
While he was very positive about Verstappen, Horner set Perez a challenge for the final two races of the campaign before the winter break.
Christian Horner sets Sergio Perez a challenge amid pressure on his Red Bull seat
Horner was asked about the Constructors’ Championship, the aim for the rest of the season and the challenge Red Bull face next year and said: “Look, we’ve got a mountain to climb in the Constructors’ [Championship] but we’ll never give up.
“Max has obviously been brilliant this year, we need Checo to get on the scoreboard a little more over these last couple of races to have any chance.
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“But then looking ahead into next year, there are four teams who are going to be very hotly contesting this championship and I just want to pay credit to GP [Gianpiero Lambiase] and his team of engineers, they’ve been outstanding this year.
“It’s been tough, there’s been a huge amount going on and week in, week out, they’re putting the effort in and he [Max Verstappen] couldn’t do it without the support that he’s had within the garage, within the team, within the factory.”
Red Bull told to make difficult Sergio Perez decision after disappointing Las Vegas Grand Prix
Although the majority of F1 fans only care about the Drivers’ Championship, the team standings are more important to personnel within each manufacturer.
That’s because staff bonuses tend to be based on where a team finish in the Constructors’ Championship.
Red Bull staff bonuses have been impacted by Perez’s performances, and while he’s unlikely to lose the backing of those working closely with him, they’ll want to see an immediate improvement.
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Danica Patrick has told Perez it’s time to retire after this season, but that leaves Red Bull in a difficult position.
The team don’t have a standout candidate to replace the 34-year-old, with doubts at Red Bull over Tsunoda and Lawson still very inexperienced.
The F1 driver’s market is always full of twists and turns and Red Bull have become synonymous with delivering them.
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