The position of Sergio Perez at Red Bull continues to be a dicey one considering the performance issues the team is in the middle of in 2024. After a slump at the beginning of the season, Red Bull was said to be thinking of getting rid of the 34-year-old driver after he lagged behind his team member Max Verstappen by a considerable margin. Although there were some speculations on when he could call it a day during his home race, Perez made sure to strike those reports with a highly unlikely meme from the Wolf of Wall Street and stated, “IM NOT LEAVING!”
Despite this gesture of assurance from the driver, the team principal Christian Horner and the advisor Dr. Helmut Marko have made it crystal that Perez’s tenure hangs in the balance. Marko declared: “There is only a guarantee in Formula 1 if you perform accordingly,” thus drawing attention to the struggles of Perez to cope with sudden changes in cars and his past poor performances. Even Marko was so bold as to say McLaren has a better driver lineup at the moment, which is even more difficult for Perez.
Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve spoke on the subject, saying that Adrian Newey’s well-crafted cars are always suited for great talented drivers. He insinuated that the current difficulties of Perez are as a result of him being short of the requirements needed to get the very best out of the car.
This season has proven more than a handful for Perez, who did not hide his annoyance for the car’s restrictions. “I thought I could crash any second,” he said, aware of the pressure that came from the intense spotlight and the expectations of competing with such a high-level teammate. All these factors consisting of the tensions within the team, the media’s influence, and the inconsistency in performance put Perez’s prospects at Red Bull in a very precarious position.
