Sergio Perez signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull earlier this season, amid an abysmal run in form. However, since then, his performances have taken a turn for the worse, and the reported performance clauses in his contract have put him at risk of being sacked.
There is no confirmation that Perez has to be within 100 points of Verstappen after the Belgian GP, as previously claimed. But reports state that the clauses in the contract came into effect as soon as the Mexican driver put pen to paper ahead of the Canadian GP.
As such, unless Perez puts in a mega-shift in Hungary and Spa, Red Bull could choose to replace him. On the other hand, the performance clauses in Perez’s contract are optional; not for the Guadalajara-born driver but for the team.
Hearing that Red Bull would not sign the Perez contract extension unless he agreed to the new performance clauses coming into effect from the day of signing, rather than from the beginning of the contract term in 2025.
No details on the reported clause details, that Perez can’t…
— Jeppe H. Olesen (@jeppe_olesen) July 16, 2024
Red Bull could choose not to go ahead with Perez’s sacking if they don’t want to. The Milton-Keynes-based stable is on the lookout for a replacement and Helmut Marko revealed that it would be assessed during the summer break. But as things stand, Perez could lose his seat before the 2025 season even gets underway.
Perez could face Red Bull exit before new deal begins
Perez’s older contract tied him to Red Bull until 2024. However, Red Bull had a condition for him when he signed his new deal- the reported performance clauses had to come into effect from this season onwards.
It put Perez under a lot of pressure, which could have contributed to his deteriorating form. If the clauses in his contract are not met, he could end up departing Red Bull even before his new deal fully comes into effect.
Red Bull is already assessing Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda as options to potentially fill in Perez’s seat. Liam Lawson too, tested the RB20 in Silverstone last week, and if the bosses deem the performance good enough, Perez could have to pack his bags.
