Formula 1 silly season has all but come to an end, except for the drama of one final seat down at Visa Cash App RB.
A few drivers have been slated for an opening there, but since they operate a fairly strong young driver stable courtesy of Red Bull, not many outsiders get a look in.
Franco Colapinto may be the only driver being considered, but interest and rumours surrounding his future have cooled recently after some shaky performances.
The Argentine is still in the picture, alongside the likes of Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, who are yet to confirm where their future lies.
Sergio Perez should ‘want to’ leave F1 at the end of the season
There’s an added component to any VCARB seat though, and it’s that there’s an opportunity for a Red Bull promotion between their current drivers.
Lawson has little time to prove himself, while Yuki Tsunoda wants to show them that he can be a challenger to Max Verstappen.
It’s all because Sergio Perez has been well off form in 2024, and has contributed so poorly that they have lost a constructors’ title that they should have won.
Dutch racing driver Jeroen Bleekemolen told formule1.nl that Perez should be wanting to leave the sport at the end of the year.
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“Pérez just can’t do much good anymore of course and that obviously makes it very difficult for him personally,” he said.
“Whether Sergio Pérez is still maintainable at Red Bull? I don’t think he should want to anymore. There is no point anymore.
“RB will let him finish the season. And then it’s the end of the story for him. Whether he has contributed anything at all to Max’s fourth world title? To be honest: minimally.”
Just how bad has Perez been in 2024?
Perez has failed to make Q3 on nine separate occasions in 2024 while having an average qualifying position of 9.2.
For reference, Fernando Alonso has been driving a dogged Aston Martin – which has failed to make the podium this year and still has an average of 9.7.
The more embarrassing look is that teammate Verstappen has an average of 2.9, and has failed to make Q3 just one – due to poor timing with a red flag.
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The Mexican’s bad qualifying form has set him up poorly for the races and is one of the reasons why he is the lowest-placed driver from the top four teams with eighth in the drivers’ standings.
He’s some 56 points behind Lewis Hamilton as well, so his position for the year is confirmed already.
Finishing eighth in a car that should have seen him in the top four at least – as Bleekemolen said, is not a good look.
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