Christian Horner Expects a ‘Big Race’ From Sergio Perez to Save His Red Bull Seat – “Can’t Afford to Go out in Q1”

Christian Horner Expects a ‘Big Race’ From Sergio Perez to Save His Red Bull Seat - “Can’t Afford to Go out in Q1”

Sergio Perez’s performances continue to be a cause of concern for Red Bull after the Mexican only managed to qualify 19th for this weekend’s British Grand Prix. A costly mistake out of Copse left the #11 driver stranded in the gravel trap and out of Q1. Now, it is being reported that despite a two-year contract extension, the future of the Mexican racing driver with Red Bull is in jeopardy.

According to F1 journalist Erik van Haren, team boss Christian Horner has issued a warning to Perez. In the aftermath of qualifying, Horner said, “Nobody is more disappointed than Checo [Perez]. We can’t afford to go out in Q1. He needs a ‘big race’ tomorrow”.

Perez’s position within Red Bull is definitely under a microscope. It has been so ever since the likes of McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari have caught up to Red Bull.

Perez has only contributed 33% of the Constructors’ points this season. And considering the way he has been performing, Red Bull are at risk of losing the Constructors’ title this season.

Naturally, the two-year deal offered to Perez earlier this year comes with its own caveats. It has been reported that the new deal contains a performance clause. Perez has the next few race weekends to improve, or else he will lose his seat in 2025.

Red Bull could sack Perez despite his contract extension

Although Red Bull only recently extended Perez’s contract, they could sack him. With Liam Lawson set to test the RB20 next week at Silverstone, Perez is at risk of losing his seat.

As per reports, Lawson is getting a test run before Visa Cash App RB (VCARB) signs him for 2025. This news is concerning for Perez, as Helmut Marko recently hinted that with Lawson set to join VCARB, Red Bull will promote Daniel Ricciardo to the main team.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
British Grand Prix Christian Horner Red Bull Sergio Perez

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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