Sergio Perez can convince Red Bull to extend his F1 contract, although Christian Horner admits all options will be considered.
Red Bull provided most of the activity in this year’s F1 driver market, with a total of four drivers competing for AlphaTauri in 2023. Although this is unlikely to be repeated next season, the Austrian outfit’s driver selections will again become a talking point.
Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are all on expiring contracts. With the highly impressive Liam Lawson still waiting for his F1 opportunity, it seems at least one of these drivers will be moved.
In the case of Perez and Ricciardo, any changes will be career-defining. After all, the Australian driver did not return with AlphaTauri to spend several seasons in the midfield. His comeback was designed to give Red Bull F1 more options for the main team.
Despite finishing second in the Championship, it has been a difficult campaign for Sergio Perez. Disappointing qualifying performances and struggles to optimise the RB19 largely characterised his last twelve months.
When the 2024 season begins, Christian Horner makes clear that Red Bull F1 will consider every alternative:
“As a team, you want to field the most competitive pairing that you can have, and you want the right dynamic in the team,” he told Sku F1.
“Max and Checo have been a tremendously successful pairing.
“Checo, in his three years with us, has finished fourth, third and second, so he’s on a good trajectory.
“Daniel is well known to us – it’s great to have him back in the Red Bull fold – and of course everything is open for 2025 onwards.”
It should also be noted that AlphaTauri is now collaborating more closely with Red Bull. As seen already in the late stages of 2023, this should elevate the Italian outfit’s performance.
This is highly relevant for Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, who will have more chances to compete for strong points. When trying to convince Red Bull F1 you are deserving of a promotion, being in a competitive machine is always helpful.
The next twelve months could be an inflexion point for the team. In a series of changes to the team’s structure, their young driver academy is significantly smaller.
With just two drivers competing in Formula 2 next season, 2024 could be the last spell of change before (at least briefly) there is a period of relative calm.
