Christian Horner insists that Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull is in his own hands. The British boss said that Perez’s good performances would be enough for him to have Red Bull extend his contract, which runs out in 2024. Former F1 mechanic-turned motivational speaker Marc Priestley, however, feels that Horner is lying.
In his recent video on YouTube Priestley said, “That’s a lie we’ve heard rolled out many times before.” This is about all the times Horner assured drivers like Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly, that they weren’t in danger of losing out on their place at Red Bull.
Priestley feels that Perez has done everything he was supposed to do at Red Bull. He is a support driver to Max Verstappen, which by now is a widely accepted fact, even within the team. His job isn’t to win world titles and races but to be the second-best, so that Red Bull wins the constructors’ title, and he has managed to fulfill those expectations over the last two years.
Perez has three P2 finishes in this year’s standings, which puts him second in the championship standings. Despite this, the seat being “his to lose” is a myth, according to Marc Priestly.
How Sergio Perez is doing what Red Bull needs him to do
Red Bull needs a driver who can get as many points as possible, to solidify their dominance in the constructors’ championship. Thanks to Perez’s 64 points, Red Bull is currently leading this year’s championship by 21 points ahead of Ferrari.
After a mid-season slump in 2023, Perez improved significantly and Helmut Marko, the team’s advisor, credits his changed mindset for this. According to him, Perez has stopped inventing things on his own and relies on Red Bull’s advice to maximize his race results.
However, Marko feels that it is too early to guarantee Perez a contract extension at the team. Even if they make an exception and grant it, it would not be for two or three years, but just one.
Just four races into the season, it is still too early for the team to decide if Perez is the right person for the job or not. Priestley believes he is, but doesn’t believe that Horner’s assurance will stand in case the outfit needs to make a difficult decision.
