Verstappen Family Surprised By Sergio Perez Retention, Red Bull Influenced By Liberty Media Money

Before the Belgian GP, it was reported that Sergio Perez was one poor performance away from getting sacked by Red Bull. However, despite having a woeful afternoon at Spa-Francorchamps, the Mexican driver retained his seat, following lengthy decision-making by the Red Bull bosses. This surprised Perez’s teammate Max Verstappen’s family, who were promised that Perez would be gone.

According to F1 insider, Helmut Marko never wanted Daniel Ricciardo to replace Perez in the first place. As per Marko, Ricciardo didn’t fit into the team’s philosophy of promoting young drivers from its junior team – RB.

Team Principal Christian Horner, meanwhile, preferred Ricciardo. Unfortunately for the Briton, however, Red Bull decided against bringing him on board. And the honey badger is set to stay in Faenza for the remainder of the season, at least.

There’s always time for a Chestappen catch up ️#F1 || #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/ShPjKSbzbS

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 30, 2024

Why Red Bull decided to keep Perez, remains a mystery. He hasn’t performed well for over two months, and most recently (in Belgium) he finished P7 despite starting from P2.

Sources report that Liberty Media wanted Red Bull to keep Perez, because of the Mexican GP later this year. It is one of the most attended races on the calendar, and if Perez doesn’t appear, it could turn out to be a loss-making affair for F1 as a whole.

The Austrian stable is fighting McLaren and Mercedes for the Constructors’ Title, and so far, Verstappen has been the only driver who has been performing. For Red Bull, things could get complicated in the remaining ten races if Perez doesn’t improve his form.