Despite seeing off the threat of Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez shouldn’t get too comfortable as Helmut Marko says the only guarantee that he remains in the car is if he “performs accordingly”.
Perez has spent the better part of two years facing questions about his Red Bull future amidst reports that his days are numbered.
Helmut Marko reminds Sergio Perez there’s only one way to guarantee his Red Bull future
Last season it culminated in claims he would announce his retirement at the Mexican Grand Prix, Perez laughing that off, while this year that same rumour is doing the rounds.
Perez responded to that by posting a clip from the movie ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ in which main character Jordan Belfort declares: “I’m not f*****g leaving!”
But having seen off the challenge of Ricciardo, who was dropped by VCARB after the Singapore Grand Prix, there’s still talk that Perez’s seat isn’t safe.
Red Bull aren’t doing much to quash the speculation about the Mexican driver’s future with comments that he has a deal for next season followed by a hint that things could change.
In the latest update on his future, team boss Christian Horner told the F1 Nation podcast that while Liam Lawson’s test “goes beyond VCARB, it encompasses Red Bull Racing”, he said “obviously, we’ve got a contract with Sergio for next year.”
Asked what his ideal scenario would be for Red Bull’s 2025 line-up, Horner replied: “That obviously Checo finds his form and rediscovers the shape that he was in at the beginning of the year and nothing changes.”
“But,” he added, “as we know in this business, two weeks is long term.”
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But finding his form is proving difficult for Perez this season.
Although he started the championship with four podiums in five races, China marked the last of his champagne celebrations before his current 13-race streak off the podium.
As the only driver from the top four teams without a win on the board, he’s P8 in the standings where he trails Max Verstappen by 187 points.
That’s cost Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship as they’re now second behind McLaren who have outscored them eight races in a row to march out to a 41-point lead.
Marko admits Perez’s for yo-yos and that’s hurting Red Bull today.
“Perez has fluctuations, we know that,” he told RTL/ntv and sport.de. “Especially when the car is modified at short notice, it takes him longer to adapt. That is certainly one factor why McLaren is currently stronger than us in terms of driver pairings.
“In terms of speed, he can do it. He just has fluctuations that are becoming more and more unpredictable.”
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