Despite Walking on Thin Ice at Red Bull, Sergio Perez’s Dad Convinced His Son Would Remain in F1 for a Decade to Come

Tanish Chachra | 24/04/2024
Despite Walking on Thin Ice at Red Bull, Sergio Perez’s Dad Convinced His Son Would Remain in F1 for a Decade to Come

Since the second half of 2023, Sergio Perez has been on thin ice at Red Bull. Although his recent exhibitions have been satisfactory, since the Mexican driver has not gotten a contract extension till now, it casts heavy doubt about his future, especially when a top driver like Carlos Sainz is available. Yet, the 34-year-old’s father, Antonio Perez Garibay, believes his son is set to stay in F1 for a decade more.

“He will continue for another 10 years. Just look at the age of Alonso,” said Garibay. For Garibay, Sergio Perez is among the most sought drivers on the grid. However, if the former Racing Point driver gets axed, there have been no rumors about where he can go.

But, there are likely to be new opportunities on the grid for him. Since Mercedes have a seat to fill and Audi is launching its new program, Sergio Perez might get a call. However, whether he will be picked by a top team is uncertain.

Moreover, the 34-year-old is not rated as highly as Fernando Alonso. Therefore, the Red Bull star getting chances till his mid-40s is an unlikely scenario. However, Garibay has never been shy of rating his son as one of the best.

In a recent statement by Garibay, he mentioned his son as the second-best on the grid, ranking him after Max Verstappen. Since Sergio has not put a foot wrong so far in 2024, he could receive an extension as well from Red Bull.

Sergio Perez could get a new Red Bull contract

After the first five races of the 2024 season, Sergio Perez has fetched four podiums. Because of that, he stands P2 in the Drivers’ standings, but with a fragile lead of nine points against Charles Leclerc. However, presumably, that’s all that Red Bull want as per the recent statements by Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.

During the Chinese Grand Prix, Horner lambasted the media for dismissing Perez always. For him, the Mexican driver is performing well and doesn’t deserve such treatment. In terms of performances, even Marko believes the same and even gave a peek inside the possible negotiations.

He claimed that Perez had demanded an extension of three years. However, it’s a very lengthy time frame and something Red Bull would hesitate to give. Marko further revealed that the two parties are finding a solution.

Thus, suggesting that Red Bull is keen on keeping Perez. However, since the 2024 season is long, Red Bull perhaps want to evaluate Perez for longer before they decide to offer him a new contract.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Red Bull Sergio Perez

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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