Sergio Perez believes he cannot be solely blamed for Red Bull’s failure to secure the constructors title. The 34-year-old argues that other factors prevented the Milton Keynes squad from retaining the teams Championship.
Perez: Red Bull shortcomings aren’t because of one person
This weekend looks to be Sergio Perez’s final race with Red Bull. After two poor seasons, Perez is likely to be replaced by either Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson for 2025.
For the majority of the season, Red Bull have waited for Perez to improve his form and begin delivering results.
The team’s decision to give the Mexican driver a multi-year extension in June was evidence of their eagerness to keep him at Milton Keynes.
However, even a team seemingly insistent on preserving the status quo have been forced to change their tune.
When pressed on Perez’s future last weekend, Christian Horner admitted “the points are what they are.”
With the future increasingly uncertain for the 6-time race winner, Perez has defended his record over the last twelve months:
“I still feel like I have a few years in me in the sport at this level. And for sure, I want to finish with Red Bull,” he told the media.
“Of course, I take responsibility. But also I don’t feel it’s fully all down to one person.
“I’m obviously part of a big organisation, a big team. And it’s very unfortunate that we did not fight any harder for the Constructors.”
Red Bull’s patience runs out
Perez’s suggestion that Red Bull are partly responsible for his failure to score enough points is difficult to rationalise.
After all, despite finishing 300 points behind Max Verstappen last season, Christian Horner’s team decided against making any driver changes this season.
Considering that Perez currently is 277 points behind Verstappen, it seems clear that Red Bull were too lenient.
Few teams would have kept the 34-year-old after his struggles last year. Even fewer would have essentially sacrificed the teams’ Championship in the hopes Perez would make a recovery.
Red Bull’s refusal to promote Yuki Tsunoda and Lawson’s one year wait before returning to F1 are clear evidence the team wanted to avoid any changes.
It is only now after losing the constructors title (with Perez scoring 9 points in the last 7 rounds) that Red Bull seem committed to change.
In the context of the team’s traditionally cut-throat approach with its drivers, Perez has been given far more chances than those before him.
Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly were both replaced at Red Bull within less than two seasons – despite having less experience and their results being far less catastrophic.
If the Austrian team have any hope of competing for the 2025 Championship, someone else must drive alongside Max Verstappen.
