NEWS. . . BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Sergio Perez has revealed that he will find out if Red Bull’s contract expires “at the end of the month”.
One of Formula 1’s most coveted seats is up for grabs as Perez’s contract with Red Bull expires at the end of the season and many drivers hope to get behind the wheel of the reigning champions.
The Mexican has been driving for the team since 2021, winning five races in that time, and while Red Bull never intended for him to challenge star driver Max Verstappen, the difference in speed between the two has been astronomical.
As such, there are many rumours circulating that Perez will be replaced in 2025, with Daniel Ricciardo being the first to fill the position.
The former Red Bull star has been driving for his junior RB team lately after some turbulent seasons, but his chances of returning to the front of the grid are diminishing after a poor start to the year.
He crashed at the start of Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, while teammate Yuki Tsunoda ended up in trouble at his home race, putting the 23-year-old in contention for the seat.
Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson is also in contention, as they could simply take a look at the outside of their own skill set, with Carlos Sainz leaving Ferrari to make way for Sir Lewis Hamilton, who has joined the team after an impressive start. the year.
But after the race in Japan, Perez himself gave an update on the race for his F1 seat, revealing that a decision on his future would be made before the end of April.
After completing his moment at Suzuka Verstappen, Perez was asked if he feels any additional tension knowing that he is fighting for his long career at Red Bull.
He said, “No, I’m pretty calm about it. I’m pleased with what I’ve done in this game so far and I think it will be a matter of time. “
“Obviously, the driving force market is transforming and in the next few weeks there will definitely be a lot of movement, so in a month’s time I’ll really know what I’m going to do next year. “
Red Bull boss Christian Horner added that he was pleased with his driver’s performance, suggesting he was leaning towards renewing his contract.
“It’s his [Perez] seat that he loses, he’s doing a wonderful job. Yesterday he qualified by a tenth of a second, his qualifying ability so far is far away,” said the team principal.
“I think you can see his confidence develop and I think his functionality in the race is very smart today. His third place of the year and he did exactly what was expected of him. “
Before the end of the month, there will be a race where Perez will be able to prove himself, and F1 will return to China for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic in two weeks’ time.
Put us in your feed