Red Bull team principal Christian Horner cannot guarantee that Sergio Perez will finish the season with the team. After another poor performance, the 34-year-old’s F1 career is hanging by a thread.
Red Bull losing patience with Sergio Perez
The Mexican GP was yet another disappointing race for Perez. After qualifying at the back on Saturday, he failed to make any progress from his starting position.
His troubles began when he was penalised for a false start – though his difficulties would not end there.
Sergio Perez then found himself in a duel with Liam Lawson. The result of this battle was sidepod damage for the Red Bull driver, essentially ending any chance of points.
Perez ended the race in 17th place – last of all classified finishers.
Speaking to the media post-race, Christian Horner didn’t pull his punches when asked about Perez’s future:
“Look, it’s a performance-based business,” he told Jenna Fryer.
“There comes a point in time that difficult decisions have to be made.”
Lawson and Tsunoda ready and waiting
At this stage, the question is when – not if – Sergio Perez is going to be replaced. His performances have consistently poor for the last two seasons.
With Ferrari and McLaren both capable of winning races with both drivers, Perez has become a liability for Red Bull.
The defending Champions have been relegated to 3rd in the teams’ Championship – a consequence of refusing to swap Perez. In reality, this decision should have been taken last year.
Even in a dominant RB20, the Mexican driver struggled to get consistent podium finishes. As other teams have caught up, he generally finds himself at the lower end of the points.
Because of this, Red Bull are genuinely considering a change before the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Christian Horner’s comments are clear evidence of this.
The Austrian team have two obvious alternatives, Lawson and Tsunoda, that can be promoted with minimal inconvenience.
Considering that Sergio Perez has not finished in the top 5 since the Miami GP (held in early May) there is absolutely no risk in making a change.
If anything, regardless of who drives alongside Verstappen, Ferrari and McLaren will finish comfortably ahead of Red Bull in the standings.
This gives Christian Horner’s team a chance to assess Tsunoda or Lawson without any significant risk. It represents the team’s best chance to understand who is best-suited to become Max Verstappen’s next teammate.
Only a few months ago, in the build-up to the summer break, the consensus was that Perez would be replaced. Then, unexpectedly, the Austrian outfit decided to retain him.
However, with four rounds left to go, another U-turn from Red Bull is unlikely. Sergio Perez’s days at Milton Keynes appear increasingly numbered.
