Sergio Perez will be hoping that he hasn’t driven his final race in Formula 1 for Red Bull Racing.
The 2024 campaign was been incredibly difficult for Sergio Perez with this year’s Red Bull proving tricky to drive and a teammate who seems to be able to negate any of the issues he comes across.
Max Verstappen highlighted his unbelievable talent this year, winning a fourth consecutive championship despite his car’s deficiencies.
Unfortunately, the problems with the RB20 have only highlighted the negatives within Perez’s skillset.
The Mexican driver has frequently been on the back foot in qualifying, with the grid converging and even losing a few tenths to Verstappen on a Saturday seeing him regularly eliminated in Q1 and Q2.
That was happening in 2023 as well, but the advantage Red Bull’s car had that year meant Perez could frequently drive through the pack to deliver a strong result.
The 34-year-old has had no such luck in 2024, and Perez’s position at Red Bull is under pressure going into the winter break.
Journalist Julianne Cerasoli was speaking on the Pit Pass Podcast about Perez’s future.
She believes there was one ‘obvious’ reason that Perez has stood strong in press conferences when discussing his immediate future.
Sergio Perez wants Red Bull payout if he loses his F1 seat in 2025
Talking about the situation at Red Bull, Cerasoli said: “It’s crazy actually that the Drivers’ world champion ends the year saying that he never wants to drive this car again.
“This is part of the reason why Checo has been so off this season.
“It’s something that Max always talks about, but not all of it, of course.
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“Christian Horner kept saying me and Checo are going to sit down this week and we’re going to talk as adults.
“There is an obvious reason Checo even today after retiring [from the race] wouldn’t say this is my last race, goodbye to everyone.
“He would rather take the money so he had a choice, take the compensation if we have to finish your contract early or do you want a farewell from Formula 1 and he has chosen the money and clearly, this is the kind of conversation that will follow this week at Red Bull.”
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Dropping Perez feels like it’s been on the cards for months despite surviving talks in the summer break where he nearly departed.
Unfortunately, his performances haven’t improved like many would have hoped since then.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix looked like a turning point, until a late crash denied him the chance to return to the podium for may have been the final time.
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Liam Lawson appears to be Red Bull’s favoured replacement but he’s only completed 11 Grand Prix.
That’s even fewer than Alex Albon when he was promoted to be Verstappen’s teammate, and Albon has spoken about the struggles of racing for Red Bull when he didn’t have the required experience.
Yuki Tsunoda will test for Red Bull in the post-season run in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
It might be his last chance to prove he deserves to step up after four seasons with the junior team.
