The axe of dismissal has been looming over Sergio Perez’s head for quite some time now, and even after the upward trend of his performance coming into this season, it’s far from gone. Now, Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal has come up to reveal that Perez is the owner of his own destiny and has full control over his contract extension.
“He [Perez] knows that his contract expires next year, but he is in control of his own seat. He just has to keep doing what he’s doing now,” said the Red Bull boss to ESPN as per Racingnews365.
Interestingly, Horner also mentioned that Perez is oozing confidence, very focused on his job and feels comfortable in the team. Therefore, his triple P2 in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan and a P5 in Australia are already doing the talking for him, and this probably sets him in a place to secure his own future.
I’m very happy after another 1-2 for the team, well done guys!
Was a really hard race, we struggled a bit on the first stint, but we managed to progress and get the result.
For us was a very strong weekend and another step forward. Now time to get ready for our return to China.… pic.twitter.com/ApSoOZAQmU— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) April 7, 2024
This confidence perhaps led to the 34-year-old driver asking for a three-year extension at Red Bull! Yes, that’s right! Amid the rumors of his dismissal, Perez asked his team for the mega extension, but interestingly, the response from the team was far from positive.
According to Robert Doornbos, a Dutch former racing driver, Helmut Marko, the man responsible for the advisory role at the Milton-Keynes-based team, did not pay much heed to it and laughed it off!
Can Sergio Perez seal his contract extension?
Sergio Perez’s tenure at Red Bull has been far from impressive in recent times. Keeping aside his shortcomings against his teammate Max Verstappen, the Mexican driver at times failed to use the rocketship underneath him, as seen in 2023, and this led to the talks of his dismissal.
Despite this, he managed to grab P2 last year and could keep his drive due to contractual obligations. However, the current season is his last and going by his run of form, Helmut Marko’s team would offer Perez just a one-year extension against his demand of three.
Podium in Japan! It was a good day for the whole team.We brought home a lot of points and maximized the potential of our package.Good couple of starts, very good pace and good overtakings to make the strategy work. Now to prepare China!
https://t.co/ZlWWI77lSt
–#CarlosSainz pic.twitter.com/a9vcmRKf6N— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) April 7, 2024
However, if Horner and Co. decide not to extend Perez’s contract further and let him go, Red Bull can hire either Carlos Sainz or Fernando Alonso, who will be without contracts at the end of the year, to the team as a replacement. Sainz does not have a drive for next season, while Alonso’s contract expires at the end of 2024.
The two-time world champion is still going great guns with his Aston Martin, but all eyes are on his young compatriot from Ferrari. Sainz is in the form of his life and has been the only driver to break Red Bull’s dominance for two seasons in a row. Therefore, having the latter might bolster the team’s attack next season.
