Sergio Perez flew to his hometown in Mexico right after the Belgian Grand Prix.
He hopes to relax after months of rumors about his future with Red Bull Racing. Despite the speculation, Red Bull decided on Monday that Perez will stay with them after the summer break, which is probably a relief for him. But many wonder why Red Bull keeps him?
Red Bull’s constructors’ title in jeopardy
This Monday, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko had a meeting in Milton Keynes. They discussed Perez’s future at Red Bull Racing. Marko was disappointed with Perez’s performance last Sunday, while Horner seemed to defend him at Spa where Perez finished seventh despite starting from P2. This result doesn’t help their standing in the constructors’ championship and isn’t the first time Perez has fallen short.
Each week it seems less likely that Red Bull can maintain their lead over McLaren until the end of the season. Max Verstappen is almost fighting alone against Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Fans might think it’s strange that Red Bull still believes keeping Perez gives them the best shot at winning, but if they didn’t think so, he would have been replaced by now.
Lawson didn’t convince enough either
A new driver next to Verstappen brings its own risks. There were only two options if Perez left: Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson. Ricciardo is a friend of Horner but isn’t as good as he used to be; swapping him for Perez might just waste time.
Liam Lawson is talented but not seen as a future world champion by Red Bull. If they thought he was ready, he’d already be driving alongside Verstappen. Though Lawson did okay when filling in for Ricciardo at AlphaTauri in 2023, he didn’t impress enough to earn a permanent spot on the team.
Perez stays mainly because there’s no better option available mid-season. If there was a more reliable driver ready to step in, things might be different for him now .
Fans may wonder what will happen next season if these issues persist or if new talents emerge unexpectedly!
What do you think? Should Red Bull keep searching for another driver?
