Sergio Perez has failed to register a podium in the last seven races as things go from bad to worse for the Mexican driver. Since his form is such a concern for Red Bull, many have wondered what it is, that is mostly contributing to this slump. According to former F1 driver Alex Wurz, it is the presence of Max Verstappen in the team.
“If Checo (Perez) would simply go to another team, he would come back as a very strong driver who on a good day can win a Formula 1 race,” said Wurz on the most recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast.
The Austrian further added that Perez is currently the heat because of “the cloud of Verstappen hanging over him. No oxygen for him [Perez] for him to breathe“.
Tricky weekend all around, so happy to be on the podium Big thank you to the team @redbullracing for the great calls, and amazing work all weekend #BritishGP #KeepPushing pic.twitter.com/IRaoa3IxQn
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) July 7, 2024
Perez joined Red Bull in 2021 and Verstappen has comprehensively outperformed him since then. However, the gap between them keeps growing every season and in 2024, it is larger than ever.
The difference between Verstappen and Perez’s form has been huge. The latter has managed just 15 points from his last six races whereas his teammate has 129 in the same duration.
In those six races, Verstappen won in Imola, Montreal, and Barcelona whereas Perez has come nowhere close to even threatening to top five. This puts the Guadalajara-born driver under massive pressure, as his new contract has certain clauses that could see him get replaced as early as the Belgian GP.
Perez is believed to have a release clause
According to reports, Perez’s new contract has two release clauses. The 34-year-old can be removed if he is more than 100 points behind Verstappen (until the Belgian GP) or if he is five places behind the Dutchman in the standings.
Currently, Perez is 137 points and five places behind Verstappen, which puts him in real danger of losing his seat on the Milton-Keynes-based team.
For the longest time this season, Perez had the backing of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. But now, even they feel it is high time that the Mexican steps up.
Marko revealed that Red Bull would evaluate the situation involving Perez when the summer break starts. If they do part ways with him, Daniel Ricciardo or Yuki Tsunoda look most likely to fill the seat. It would also give junior driver Liam Lawson a chance to shine for V-CARB.
