Sergio Perez has spoken transparently about his plans for the future, amidst F1 news reports questioning his position with Red Bull.
It is no secret that Sergio Perez is under pressure from the senior figures at Red Bull. The Mexican driver has scored just five points in the last three rounds, failing to extract any meaningful performance from the RB19.
The 33-year-old has also been involved in several incidents, picking up penalties for hitting other drivers in Singapore and Japan. Red Bull is taking notice of these difficulties – and has started to apply pressure on Perez to improve.
Helmut Marko is typically the most outspoken senior decision-maker at the Austrian outfit. However, recent events have seen team principal Christian Horner comment about the urgency of this issue.
As reported previously on LWOS, Horner has outlined that Perez must improve his form quickly. Checo still has a contract for 2024, but this doesn’t mean his place is guaranteed if these performances continue.
Perez sets clear goals
However, Sergio Perez has recently commented on the speculation about his future:
“Well, right now I have a contract for next year. And it will be important to have a good year.
“I have the motivation to continue, and I want to stay for more years.
“Because I believe that I still have a lot to give in Formula 1.
“I would like to stay in F1 for at least 3-4 more years.”
Five rounds are still left in 2023, so the Mexican driver has time to produce better results. Red Bull has frequently referenced second place in the Championship as a minimum requirement.
Considering that Verstappen is over 200 points ahead of Perez (who is still P2 in the standings), this objective is not especially demanding.
However, Perez’s contributions are becoming alarmingly small. Without the mid-season regression at Aston Martin, it seems possible that Fernando Alonso could have jumped the 33-year-old in the standings.
Red Bull also believes Lewis Hamilton is still a threat to finish as the runner-up in 2023, even after retiring in Qatar. Evidently, Perez will be at tremendous risk if he loses 2nd place to either Alonso or Hamilton.
Red Bull search for alternatives
After all, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon were demoted from the team for far less. Another key factor to mention is the team’s reluctance to promote their other drivers.
Red Bull has shown little enthusiasm to promote Yuki Tsunoda, whilst Daniel Ricciardo’s injury has complicated his comeback. Speaking of Ricciardo, the Australian is set to make a return at next week’s American GP.
This will add even more pressure to Sergio Perez, especially if AlphaTauri can challenge for points. With that said, from Perez’s perspective, he is still capable of racing in F1 for several years.
Even amidst a difficult season, there is no reason why he cannot race in Formula 1 for the foreseeable future. There will certainly be teams elsewhere on the grid interested in his services.
The question is whether Perez has a long-term future with Red Bull specifically. Considering the volatility that we’ve seen in 2023 alone, there will surely be more twists and surprises this year.
