The continued partnership of Red Bull and Sergio Perez is attracting more flak with each passing day. Despite a strong outing in the Belgian GP qualifying, the Mexican driver was subject to severe criticism from a former member of the McLaren team. Marc Priestley stated on BBC’s F1: Chequered Flag Podcast that if the association between Perez and Red Bull continues, the Milton Keynes outfit might go trophyless in 2025.
With Perez generally not being a fast enough driver in 2024, Priestley says that Red Bull needs to find a decent alternative. He said,
“If they [Red Bull] don’t have a number two driver alongside Verstappen who’s able to take a good tally of points from a season and take points away from the main rivals, then they’re gonna find it very difficult to win either championship next year”.
Priestley’s comment could be quite accurate, looking at Perez’s performances this year. The #11 driver has not been on the podium since the Chinese GP, which is a run of eight races. On top of that, he has not finished in the top five as well in seven of those eight races.
Last year at this stage, Perez was comfortably in P2 and was still within range to challenge for the drivers’ championship. However, at the same point this season, the 34-year-old is outside the top five and is currently in P7 with only 124 points to his name.
So, the reports around his potential ouster during the summer break make sense, with the Hungarian and Belgian GP weekends being do-or-die for Perez. The race in Spa could be his shot at redemption given the way he has qualified on the front row. But, Priestley feels it’s too late for Perez.
A race win for Perez deemed irrelevant in the grand scheme of things
Starting the Belgian GP from P2, Perez has a real chance at returning to winning ways. However, even if he can win in Belgium, Priestley opines that it won’t be enough to convince Red Bull to continue with him.
The Mexican driver has underperformed massively as the Milton Keynes outfit has lost a lot of ground in the constructors’ championship. So, the former McLaren mechanic feels that if Red Bull wants to retain their constructors’ title this year and head into 2025, they would take a tough call on Perez during the break.
Last big push before summer break
Último gran empujón antes del summer break #SP11 pic.twitter.com/UetK0WPaYU
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) July 25, 2024
Nonetheless, Perez will aim to give it his all, as it might well turn out to be a career-saving race for the Mexican driver. But, a win won’t be easy to achieve, given the threat from McLaren. The Woking-based team seems to have the best race pace on the grid in dry track conditions.
