Rumors around the security of his seat at Red Bull amid the ongoing slump have not helped Sergio Perez. Some reports even claimed that the performance clauses in his contract may require him to prove his worth until the summer break, which is just two races away. Perez has now come out quelling such speculations with a clear insight into his contractual conditions.
Without revealing the specifics, the Mexican driver has cleared that he is here to stay until the duration of his contract concludes, which is the end of 2025. The revelation also puts to rest the heavily reported “performance clause” discussion.
Racer’s Chris Medland quoted him as saying, “There’s nothing related to [a summer break deadline on contract clauses]. Obviously I cannot talk about my contract. What I said was the next two races are important for me. I want to go on holiday with a good spirit and I think it’s good for my side of the garage to go with a good spirit. I wasn’t talking about anything else”.
“I’m fully focused to fully deliver. I will be here and here again next year and that’s nothing different. I’m just fully committed to myself,” he added.
“I am ready to FIGHT!”
Yuki Tsunoda believes he is ready to step up to Red Bull with pressure mounting on Sergio Perez pic.twitter.com/TU0BEUbQx9
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 18, 2024
Another rumor running rife in the F1 media involves Yuki Tsunoda possibly taking over Perez’s seat in 2025. The Japanese driver emerged as the prime candidate for the seat amid Daniel Ricciardo’s inconsistent performances. In this scenario, the Aussie could be asked to leave and V-CARB might field a fresh lineup with Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar.
Perez did not shy away from addressing these rumors either. Fully aware of Tsunoda’s ambitions to earn a promotion to the senior team, the #11 driver issued a balanced response.
Perez reacts to Tsunoda takeover speculations
Given the way Red Bull has dominated the championship since the start of the ground effect era, its two driver seats are undoubtedly the most sought-after on the grid. Perez acknowledged this fact while addressing the Tsunoda takeover rumors recently.
The Race quoted him as saying, “I think a lot of drivers out there would love to have my seat. It’s obvious”. He added, “It’s normal for Yuki to want to move up. It’s just normal”.
Sergio Perez has dismissed suggestions he could lose his Red Bull drive as “external noise” – and claimed there is no heightened importance to the next #F1 two races.
But as for Yuki Tsunoda’s interest in taking his drive, Perez sees it as only fair: pic.twitter.com/TPaZaQKRlA
— The Race (@wearetherace) July 18, 2024
Tsunoda has certainly put forward a strong case for a promotion with consistently good performances so far in the season. The Red Bull stable had plans to prioritize Ricciardo to take the seat next to Verstappen. However, the Aussie’s failure to gain the management’s trust has only made the Japanese driver’s case stronger.
