Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko may have just foreshadowed the end of Sergio Perez’s stint at the Milton Keynes-based outfit. After Perez had a dramatic fallout with RB driver Liam Lawson last weekend at the Mexico City GP, it seems that the top brass of Red Bull have decided to side with the New Zealander.
Starting in P12 on hard tires, Lawson was aiming to make the reverse strategy work, and he seemed to be making progress. However, when Perez eventually caught up to him, the two fought for the final points-scoring position.
Perez got ahead of Lawson briefly at Turn four, but the Kiwi driver forced him wide, dragging their fight for P10 over several corners. Ultimately, the two came together and Perez suffered damage to his car while Lawson managed to stay ahead of the Mexican driver.
⚔️ Liam Lawson Sergio Pérez
Dos hombres enfrentados por un asiento en Red Bull. ¿Te pareció justificable el pilotaje agresivo del neozelandés sobre el mexicano?#F1 #MexicoGPpic.twitter.com/UoHMPsEPMl
— Car and Driver – F1 (@CardriverF1) October 28, 2024
For those following Red Bull closely, it may come as a surprise that Horner and Marko didn’t side openly with Perez. Usually, Red Bull’s senior management steps in with strong sentiments when a junior driver has a falling out, especially if it impacts one of their main drivers.
But in this case, Horner’s reaction to Perez’s complaints was almost dismissive as quoted by ‘The Race’. “That’s racing. We saw a lot of tough racing out there,” Horner remarked, signaling that Perez wouldn’t receive any special defense from the team.
Marko, who is known for his blunt comments, held Lawson partially responsible for the crash, saying, “He [Lawson] reacted too strongly.” However, Marko didn’t criticize Lawson as harshly as expected, especially considering the accident cost Red Bull valuable points in the Constructors’ Championship.
Part of the reason could be Red Bull’s recent struggles, with the team now sitting third in the Constructors’ standings, and Perez’s poor form having played a major part in the team finding themselves in such a situation.
Perez is more likely to lose his Red Bull seat
Another reason for Marko to go slightly easy on Lawson could be because the Kiwi driver is viewed as a potential replacement option for Perez in 2025. Although Lawson’s performance in the Mexico City GP was not ideal, he did show promise by scoring points in his first race at COTA.
However, for Perez, the uncertainty surrounding his future continues to increase due to his undeperformances. With Red Bull choosing not to side with him and other F1 seats mostly filled for 2025, Perez’s options to stay in Formula 1 are limited, especially considering that he is not even in contention for the last remaining seat for 2025 at Sauber.
