Sergio Perez contract ‘useless’ as Helmut Marko confirms ‘end of season’ Red Bull decision

Oliver Harden
89
A close-up shot of Sergio Perez looking tense with a cracked Red Bull logo alongside him

Is Sergio Perez facing the end of the line at Red Bull?

Helmut Marko has confirmed that Red Bull will make a decision on Max Verstappen’s F1 2025 team-mate at the end of the season amid mounting rumours surrounding the future of Sergio Perez.

And he has claimed that the two-year contract Perez signed earlier this year will not stop Red Bull making a change for next season, stressing that F1 is a “meritocracy.”

Helmut Marko: Sergio Perez’s Red Bull future to be decided at end of the season

Perez has seen his Red Bull seat come under serious threat after a disastrous run of form, with the 34-year-old without a podium finish since the Chinese Grand Prix back in April.

The Mexican driver appeared to have secured his future by penning a new two-year contract in June, theoretically committing him to Red Bull until the end of the F1 2026 season.

With his revised deal understood to contain stricter performance clauses, however, Perez found himself under mounting pressure ahead of F1’s summer break.

Explained: How Sergio Perez earned an unlikely summer Red Bull reprieve

👉 Sergio Perez: What changed in the 24 hours after the Belgian Grand Prix?

👉 F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the 2024 grid?

PlanetF1.com revealed in July that Perez came exceptionally close to losing his seat following the Belgian Grand Prix, with a performance clause giving Red Bull the freedom to drop him over the summer break as he was in excess of 100 points adrift of Verstappen in the Drivers’ standings.

It is understood that Red Bull’s plans to replace Perez extended as far as junior team VCARB arranging a so-called shootout test between Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson at Imola to help guide the decision on his replacement for the second half of the F1 2024 season, before the decision was made to retain Perez entering the final 10 races.

It is uncertain whether a similar mechanism exists for Red Bull to discard Perez at the end of the season, with the veteran’s deficit to Verstappen having since ballooned to 204 points.

Perez laughed off rumours last month that he and Red Bull had established a plan to announce his retirement ahead of his home race in Mexico this weekend to allow him a dignified exit, insisting he will not walk away from the team.

With Lawson impressing in his first F1 appearance in more than a year at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix, having replaced Ricciardo for the final six races of F1 2024, it is believed that Perez is under mounting pressure to improve his performances to guarantee his place alongside Verstappen for next season.

Marko, the long-serving Red Bull adviser, has confirmed that Red Bull will make a final decision on Perez’s future at the end of the season.

And he has warned that Perez’s new deal will be no obstacle to the team making a change for F1 2025.

He told German publication F1-Insider: “Perez may have a contract, but Formula 1 is a meritocracy. If the performance is not right, even contracts are useless.

“At the end of the season, we will sit down together and decide who is the best team-mate for Verstappen at Red Bull.”

Marko’s comments come after he played down the suggestions that Perez’s retirement is imminent, telling Sky Germany at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix: “It’s a rumour.

“He himself says there is no truth in it. Let’s see, but he has to improve his performance.”

The 81-year-old went on to praise Lawson’s performance in Austin, Texas, after the 22-year-old recovered from a 60-place grid penalty to finish ninth, describing the New Zealander as “definitely a man for the future.”

Ahead of Lawson’s return to action at the United States GP, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner teased that the youngster could emerge as a serious alternative to Perez for F1 2025, admitting that the team “desperately need answers” and hinting at a “much bigger picture” behind the decision to replace Ricciardo after the Singapore GP.

Join the conversation
Have your say. Join the grid of passionate F1 fans and share your thoughts in the comments.
Read All 90 Comments

Perez’s lack of contribution alongside Verstappen is likely to cost Red Bull the Constructors’ Championship the team have held since 2022, with the Milton Keynes-based outfit trailing leaders McLaren 40 points with five races of the F1 2024 season remaining.

Red Bull could drop down to third on the standings at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, with Ferrari just eight points adrift after securing their second one-two finish of the season in the United States.

Read next: Ranked: Every F1 driver who hailed from Mexico ahead of the Mexican GP

Red Bull Helmut Marko Sergio Perez
Latest from thenetwork

Conversation

|

All Comments

    1. Comment by User 1868399621.

      I always liked Checo but in the last 2 years he wasd beyond himself. The "old" RB would've sacked him ages ago just as they did with Gasly and Albion. I simply can't understand their motive behind keeping him for so long got visibly nothing. Would he constantly scored big points they might have been champions again but it's unimaginable what he did this year. The only reason for keeping him for so long is probably a huge amount of money from his sponsors.

      • Reply by User 1868399621.

        I meant Albon of course

    2. Comment by User 653421166.

      Anyway, if they are able to keep the driver championship and be second or third in the constructor, it will just help Redbull with more time in the wind tunnel for next year. Third would give them some gravy time for the next regulation.

      • Comment by DearLider.

        Oh please. A meritocracy my a... This coming from the same team that has kept Tsunoda for 4 years and rehired a washed out Ricciardo for 2. Sure Pérez must go. But it's so long overdue

        • Comment by Imster Imster.

          Swap Perez with Lawson. Plain and simple. I think this is what Marko is thinking. Lawson even got the ire of Alonso

          • Reply by AJ77X.

            Im guessing the remaining 5 races are his Audition for the Red Bull seat if he continues to be in the points he may get the gig, otherwise they are left with a decision between:

            1) Keeping Perez - knowing it will likely cost them the constructors championship for 25'

            2) Bring Ricciardo back - safe pair of hands for 25' on the short term or for the transition to 26' new regs

            3) Give Yuki a shot - Has experience, although unpredictable and aggressive. Could he do it in a better car/team?

            4) Fastrack Hadjar - Would seem unlikely due to lack of experience in F1, but could be a surprise decision

            5) Surprise signing - Could somebody suddenly become available? could they bring seb back for a last swansong?

          • Reply by Jack Woodruff.

            Lawson looks likely to get the seat, but I don’t think RB is being run for a journeyman driver. They will want a young driver.

        • Comment by David Brand.

          Now that Ricciardo is out of your sights you can finally focus on the driver who is grossly underperforming.

          Only took you how many months and how many words of a false narrative to get there?

          • Reply by David Brand.

            Race finishes 10th or better = points. If the car is the slowest in the field, it’s not getting in the top 10. The finishes still matter and Tsunoda was in no way trouncing Ricciardo.

            Perez has been absolutely abysmal this year (and last year). But all the media could focus on was talking down Ricciardo. Meanwhile Tsunoda wasn’t doing that great and no one noticed.

            But Red Bull clearly did and that’s why he’s not even being talked about for Perez’s seat.

            Now you can go away and actually check on Tsunoda’s results and come back more informed.

          • Reply by Pacific Sonata.

            The idea of RedBull being a much better car over 2022...? RBR took 8 poles against Ferrari 12. Ferrari made numerous strategic errors while not just Leclerc crashed himself out twice, but all Ferrari and Mercedes drivers did.

            Perez didn't crash, neither was he ever caught out on the wrong tyre or flawed strategy... he pipped Leclerc at the start of the Singapore GP.

            The most dominant 'car' in the history with just between 0.2 to 0.3 on the next best team, doesn't anyone remember Mercedes qualified 0.6sec ahead on average and finished over 20 seconds ahead in no less than 12 out of 19 races with gaps as large as 49 seconds...? RBR was just scratching the surface compared to Mercedes dominant years

            Some just don't want to see any context

        • Comment by Honda.

          Are we going to ignore Perez was not driving the same car as Max, his car was missing upgrades. But still not a great weekend for Perez.

          • Reply by David Brand.

            When was the last great weekend for Perez? It’s a very very rare thing these days.

          • Reply by Honda.

            I agree he has been scoring very few pts but at Baku he was good. He was close to winning it actually. Remember Norris was blocking him after Perez came from pits and lost precious time there and then Piastri, Leclerc and Perez were all with in 3 or 4secs before Sainz ran into him. Piastri, Norris also had mini DRS which helped them, that is now banned by FIA.

        • Comment by Shmueli88.

          The Red Bull of old would've canned him long ago. Look at Williams, Colapinto is out performing Albon. Lawson hasn't been in the car in how long and he beats Yuki the first time back. I t wouldn't be hard to come up with a better choice, Perez is not a top 5 driver anymore; wasn't it 22 that he was winning left and right and closing in on Max with talk that maybe he could overtake Max on points. Things have changed, no-one stays on top for forever.

          • Comment by Lucas.

            I wonder what the "decision" will be (yawn)

            • Comment by Danger Munich .

              Sergio Perez is not a good driver. He should have been out of F1 long ago

              • Reply by Danger Munich .

                Marko is full of BS

              • Reply by Danger Munich .

                You mean to protect their beloved Mad Max?

            • Comment by Danger Mouse.

              It's best to either do something about or be quiet about it. Gums flapping doesn't cut it

              • Reply by Murray The Mouse Catcher.

                You should take your own advice Mister England.

            Active Conversations

            The following is a list of the most commented articles in the last 7 days.

            Powered by

            Related Articles