Sergio Perez’s Formula 1 future appears to be under increasing scrutiny as Red Bull assesses the state of their 2025 driver pairing.
The Mexican has gone 18 races without a podium in a car that teammate Max Verstappen has managed to win the drivers’ championship in by a comfortable margin.
Experienced sister team driver Yuki Tsunoda is in the hunt for his seat, alongside Liam Lawson who is relatively fresh to the scene.
Red Bull does not appear to be too confident in either driver, hence their hesitation to confirm them so far, so it’s all up for grabs with one race to go at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Guenther Steiner advises Sergio Perez to ‘settle down’ after F1 life
Perez has scored just nine points in the last seven races, enduring a miserable period behind the wheel which has battered his confidence.
His team should’ve won the constructors’ championship this year, and statistics indicate that halving the gap to teammate Verstappen would have been enough.
READ MORE: Sergio Perez states what he doesn’t ‘regret’ despite Red Bull sack threat
The Dutchman scored an average of 10 points more per race, where an extra 5 points for Perez would’ve amounted to over 110 more and enough to beat McLaren and Ferrari.
Speaking on the Red Flag podcast, Guenther Steiner recommended to the Mexican that he takes some time away from the sport if he is forced to step away.
“I think next for him should be that he just settles down [and] does nothing for a while. To get back to be himself. This cannot be easy on anybody what is happening to him, mentally it’s difficult to digest.
“I don’t think he should look into ‘where is my next gig coming?’. Let’s settle down, see what I want to do and maybe come back.”
Why Perez should be on the grid in 2025 as it stands
The problem which stands in the way of Red Bull making a change currently is Perez’s outstanding contract which entitles him to a 2025 drive with them.
They face having to honour that, or pay him out and hire someone else to fulfil the role – which would be between three drivers.
READ MORE: Helmut Marko shares how Liam Lawson gets under his skin amid battle for Sergio Perez Red Bull seat
Franco Colapinto is the biggest outsider as interest in him following some messy races for Williams has cooled.
It means that down at Visa Cash App RB, both Tsunoda and Lawson are relying on a good Abu Dhabi Grand Prix performance to convince their seniors that they are best prepared for the gig.
Whoever is in the seat next year, has what is probably the toughest job in Formula 1 alongside the current reigning champion – a role Perez has done well to hold down for four years.
