Sergio Perez has certainly proved his worth as a Formula 1 driver, clinching countless podiums including a race victory with the mid-field outfit, Sahara Force India, and later, with Racing Point, as well. Hence, the optimism was constantly on the rise, especially with the Mexican’s massively hyped move to Red Bull Racing. ‘Perez, a future world champion, perhaps?’ many in the F1 community wondered.
Rightfully so, Perez followed a rather predictable trajectory in his newfound journey with Red Bull. The 33-year-old utilized the initial couple of seasons working his way through the setups and reshaping the challenger to his strengths. Then arrived what was his third and potentially game-changing season at the Christian Horner-led outfit.
One can certainly acknowledge the Mexican lived up to everyone’s expectations during the early part of this season. Perez managed to take a couple of race victories away from Max Verstappen and even found himself on the cusp of claiming what could be a morale-boosting lead in the championship. However, quite shockingly, everything fell apart for Perez from there on.
It began really well, but the ending wasn’t what we had hoped for as we missed out on the podium.
Now on to MonzaEmpezamos muy bien.
Pero no fue el final que queríamos, perder el podio. ¡Ahora con todo a Monza!#SP11 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/B0L28aoJia— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) August 27, 2023
Perez had mishap after mishap, and the pressure was constantly mounting on the six-time Grand Prix winner to reignite his glory days. However, the result was rather stale all the while Verstappen continued winning every single race and ultimately built an untouchable lead in the standings in a span of eight races.
Sergio Perez survives growing Daniel Ricciardo threat
Heading into the summer break, there were whispers going around that Daniel Ricciardo might replace Perez as early as next year. And the following race weekend at Zandvoort witnessed similar comments arriving from Helmut Marko, who remained open about the drivers’ line-up for 2024.
However, as uncertainty continues to engulf Perez and his future at Red Bull, Horner has made a firm statement. According to a fan page on X, the Briton revealed that Perez will stay with Red Bull at least until the end of 2024 despite the poor showing so far this year.
🚨 Christian Horner has made it clear that Checo will drive for Red Bull in 2024
“He’s second in the World Championship. He’s the only rider besides Max to have won Grands Prix this year. It’s easy to hit him when the barometer is so high on the other side. But he’ll be our… pic.twitter.com/OIWvfNv9KV
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 27, 2023
“He’s second in the World Championship. He’s the only rider besides Max to have won Grands Prix this year. It’s easy to hit him when the barometer is so high on the other side. But he’ll be our rider in 2024,” the Red Bull boss said. Perez yet again failed to deliver at the Dutch Grand Prix, starting from P7 and seeing the chequered flag in P4.
Furthermore, we’ve seen Red Bull making impulsive decisions in recent years. Hence, if Perez continues to struggle, will Horner and Marko open the doors for a Ricciardo comeback?