Sergio Perez’s Red Bull contract comes to an end with the conclusion of the 2024 season. The #11 driver is keen to continue his journey with the team. But Perez has a specific demand with respect to a possible extension. The Mexican driver wants a two-year deal at the very least. Despite his demands, team principal Christian Horner believes him to be an easy guy to deal with.
When asked whether the details of Perez‘s contract had been finalized, Horner said (as quoted on X (formerly Twitter)), “Checo is always a very straightforward guy to deal with, so I wouldn’t expect that to be an issue.”
How close are you to finalizing the terms with him [Checo]? Is it just a matter of signing or do you still have to negotiate?
Christian Horner: Checo is always a very straightforward guy to deal with, so I wouldn’t expect that to be an issue.
Source: @PitDebrief
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) May 21, 2024
There has been no official comment from Red Bull with respect to Perez’s demands. However, team advisor Helmut Marko is counting on the Mexican driver to retain his seat. Speaking about his current form, the Austrian expressed no desire to look elsewhere.
Sergio Perez has been a solid support act to his teammate, Max Verstappen. The 2024 season had started on a strong note for Perez, who has secured four podiums for the Milton-Keynes-based team so far.
The driver’s title is of little concern to Red Bull, knowing that Verstappen is more than capable of pulling through. However, the team is also vying for the Constructors’ Championship. Hence, Perez needs to keep good performances coming up and help the team in their bid to secure the Constructors’ crown.
Is Sergio Perez suffering from a mid-season dip in form?
2023 was a tough year for Sergio Perez. After a very strong start to the season, he suffered a massive dip in form. This led to speculation of him being axed from the team as well. But he recovered well enough in the second half of the season to clinch P2 in the Drivers’ standings.
This year, he started strong, getting back-to-back podiums in the opening two races of the season. However, since then, he seems to have fallen short. The Australian GP saw Max Verstappen retire on lap 3 of the race. However, Perez was not able to cover for his teammate, and Red Bull lost the win to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
In 2023, Pérez started to struggled after Miami, crashing in Monaco Q1, starting P20 and finishing P16.
In 2024, also after Miami, he qualified in P11 and finished in P8 at Imola. pic.twitter.com/es3uy1K0jC
— Holiness (@F1BigData) May 19, 2024
This has opened the Mexican up to immense criticism from the experts. Many have even called for his sacking. Perez’s disappointing eighth-placed finish at the 2024 Emilia Romagna GP would not have helped his cause either, given how he was knocked out of Q2 during Qualifying as well.
If the team does choose to not renew Perez’s contract, they have a fair few options lined up for them. As things stand, Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda look like the prime candidates. But Horner has maintained that a driver from outside of Red Bulls’ pool of talent can also be scouted as a possible long-term replacement.
