Red Bull make decision on Sergio Perez after Helmut Marko made feelings clear (original) (raw)

Sergio Perez endured another disappointing race at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, increasing already rampant speculation surrounding his short-term future driving for Red Bull

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has informed staff of their decision

Sergio Perez WILL remain Max Verstappen's team-mate after showdown talks ended in Red Bull chief Christian Horner backing the out-of-form Mexican.

Perez, 34, finished seventh in Sunday's dramatic Belgian Grand Prix, keeping him off the podium for a ninth successive race weekend, despite starting from P2. His lack of strong race performances and early qualifying exits have combined to help reduce Red Bull's lead over McLaren at the top of the Constructors' Championship to just 52 points, with Verstappen also seeing a dip in results.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko confirmed last week that he and team principal Horner would meet on Monday to discuss Perez's future driving alongside Verstappen. As first reported by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Perez won't be losing his seat for now, despite Liam Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo being in the mix to replace him once Formula 1 returns from its summer break.

Mirror Sport understands that Horner informed Red Bull staff of their decision to retain Perez at the team's Milton Keynes headquarters on Monday afternoon following a meeting with Marko. Perez was handed a new two-year contract in early July, having enjoyed a promising start to the season in which he and Verstappen looked to be furthering the team's dominance.

But convergence on the grid - thanks to improvements at McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes - has changed the landscape of F1. Verstappen has now gone Grands Prix without a victory for the first time since 2020, although the three-time world champion maintains a 78-point lead over Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship.

Marko has been publicly critical of Perez's displays this season, including saying that his race 'collapsed' in Belgium. Asked by Sky Sports if Red Bull chiefs would be 34-year-old's future this week, Marko responded bluntly by saying: "Yes, we will."

Horner, who has continually got behind Perez during rough patches of form throughout his three-and-a-half years with the reigning constructors champions, said: "Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver, despite recent speculation. We look forward to seeing him perform at tracks he has previously had success at, after the summer break."

Your turn! Should Red Bull have axed Sergio Perez? Let us know your verdict in the comments section

Sergio Perez has been world champion Max Verstappen's team-mate since 2021 (

Image:

Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Following Sunday's race, in which he dropped five places, Perez was asked directly if he thought that he'd be driving for Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix on August 25. "Correct," he replied. "I've said it before. Yesterday I had a good qualifying, a good day.

"It doesn't change anything. I think we have too much going on in the team, a lot of things that we have to focus on, and we cannot waste any energy with all this speculation surrounding.

"So, this is the last time I will speak about the future, so just to make it clear for everyone, I will not be speaking anymore. I will not answer any more questions about the future."

Verstappen - who managed to finish P4, despite a 10-place grid penalty - was also asked about Perez's future and defended his team-mate. "Our main concern is the car," he argued.

"That's what we should focus on mainly because I think if you look at Checo's weekend, it was very positive. Of course in the race, it just shows that we have difficulties still with the tyre life. I think that should be our main priority."

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