Sergio Perez has been defiant throughout this season that he deserves to be racing for Red Bull beyond 2024, but that attitude can only carry you so far.
For the 18th Grand Prix in succession, Sergio Perez failed to finish on the podium at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Red Bull were celebrating at the chequered flag as Max Verstappen had achieved his ninth victory of the season.
Not only was his best performance at the front of the field impressive, but the improvement he made from the Sprint Race when he started and finished sixth highlights how well he understands a very difficult-to-drive car.
Perez, on the other hand, was forced to watch the end of Sunday’s Grand Prix from the garage.
He had a terrible Sprint Race event after being eliminated in Q1 and Colapinto overtook Perez in the pit lane after a sluggish start on his way to finishing last.
He didn’t reach the chequered flag despite running in P5 at one point during Sunday’s race.
A report from The Race suggests that Perez may have burnt out his clutch with a spin behind the safety car that forced him to retire.
The story goes on to suggest that Perez’s time at Red Bull is coming to an end, bringing a disappointing campaign to a close in the manner that many F1 fans have been predicting for some time.
Sergio Perez ‘keen’ on being ‘well-compensated’ if Red Bull exit is inevitable
Perez will be well aware of the pressure he’s currently under and while Red Bull continuing with him into 2025 is the simplest solution, it looks as if the time has passed for him to convince Horner and the senior hierarchy within the team that he can turn things around.
Red Bull can no longer win the Constructors’ Championship which considering Verstappen’s lead in the driver’s standings is significant.
Perez will match a record set by Jos Verstappen in 1994 for how far away a teammate has finished from the eventual winner of the championship.
During his home race in Mexico City, Perez was defiant that he would be on the grid in 2025, although this caught even some of his own fans by surprise.
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His performances haven’t improved since then and even his fine performance in Baku earned him no points after a late collision with Carlos Sainz.
The report from The Race suggests that the 34-year-old’s contract won’t make an exit easy for Red Bull to negotiate.
Perez’s newest deal reportedly removes any exit clauses Red Bull could have used to remove him due to his poor performance.
However, the story goes on to say that Perez is said to be ‘keen’ on being ‘well-compensated’ if he does end up being dropped due to the ‘perilous’ position he finds himself in.
Red Bull have backed themselves into a corner with Sergio Perez’s 2025 contract
At the beginning of the year, Red Bull would have been wary that their dominance in 2023 may not continue into this campaign.
It didn’t happen immediately, but those fears were eventually realised and highlighted just how much of a deficit exists between Verstappen and Perez.
While the Dutchman’s contract runs until the end of 2028, Perez was originally expected to become a free agent at the end of this campaign.
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However, the decision to hand Perez a new deal ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix appears to have been a serious misjudgment by Red Bull.
Instead of allowing them to part ways on positive terms, Red Bull may have to deliver a parting blow to the 34-year-old after the race in Abu Dhabi.
Perez has been offered an alternative role by Red Bull, but whether he’ll be keen to take it up is another matter.
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