Earlier this month, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed Sergio Perez would remain with the team at least until the end of his current contract, which runs out in 2024. However, Kleine Zeitung recently reported a statement made by Helmut Marko, which has put a question mark on the Mexican driver’s future.
While the duo started equally well, Perez and Verstappen have had contrasting seasons since the Miami GP. Even though they are the top two ranked drivers in the current grid, the difference between them is stark. Leading the pack, Verstappen has 314 points to his name, while his teammate sits 125 points behind him in second place.
The difference has not led to the Austrian team taking any drastic measures as the Dutchman is single-handedly winning them the constructor’s as well as the driver’s championships. Although, with multiple talented drivers showing promise and rising fast through the ranks, Sergio Perez is under a lot of pressure to step up his game.
Helmut Marko sends Sergio Perez’s future in doubt
With the F1 season set to resume this weekend, the pressure will be on Perez to prove his mettle yet again, as he will look to improve on his performances from the first half of the season. Kleine Zeitung put more emphasis on Sergio Perez’s need to put in world-class performances by reporting Marko’s statement.
“Nothing is 100 percent certain in Formula 1, it just doesn’t exist. There are always performance-related situations somewhere that need to be discussed. We’ll take a look and discuss how to proceed in Zandvoort, then we’ll know more.”
Should Red Bull look to replace the Guadalajara-born driver before his contract expires, Ricciardo could be the frontrunner to take up the team’s second seat. Another possible replacement could be Ricciardo’s current teammate at AlphaTauri, Yuki Tsunoda.
With the spotlight currently on his Australian teammate, Tsunoda pulled an impressive performance at Spa, proving that he deserves a faster car, potentially away from AlphaTauri.
One of the AlphaTauri drivers could fill a vacant seat at Red Bull
After a dismal couple of seasons with McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo terminated his contract with the team by mutual agreement. At the start of 2023, the 34-year-old joined Red Bull as their third driver and soon replaced Nick de Vries in AlphaTauri. The Perth-born driver was impressive in his first two races of the season, and having previously proved himself as a worthy Red Bull driver, he is widely considered to be the favorite to replace Perez.
Ricciardo’s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, is also a prospect who can take up a vacant Red Bull seat when called upon. With Ricciardo outperforming Tsunoda in his first race of the season, many wrote the Japanese driver off. However, he made a strong comeback at the Belgian Grand Prix and displayed some impressive driving. Given his lack of experience compared to Ricciardo, there is a possibility that the best he can muster up is a continued association with his current team.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc are also viable options for the Austrian team, and if an opportunity were to present itself, the team might not think twice before bringing them on board.
