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What else does Perez have to do to be sacked by Red Bull Racing?
Pierre Gasly was given half a year, Alexander Albon one and a half. Nyck de Vries was shown the door after less than half a year and Daniel Ricciardo was also not allowed to finish his season. Sergio Perez, however, was allowed to stay put at Red Bull Racing. No matter what. One wonders how that is possible?
Red Bull Racing always had a reputation for giving young talents a chance in Formula 1. If you are good enough, you get to drive in F1 and if you are very good you drive for Red Bull Racing. The downside was that if you did not perform you could leave immediately. Over the years, a lot of drivers have also experienced that hard side of Red Bull.
Recently, Red Bull Racing threw out young talents Albon and Gasly. Not deemed good enough, on to the next one. The same happened at Visa Cash App RB, where first Nyck de Vries and later Daniel Ricciardo were ruthlessly shown the door. However, it is a rule that does not seem to apply to Sergio Perez.
From day one, Red Bull Racing knew what it was getting with Perez. An experienced driver with a large following in Mexico and associated sponsors. Interesting for Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen, especially considering the talents from its own training failed to perform. Perez, however, seemed a short-term option, waiting for the next talent.
Why is Perez keeping his seat?
The next Red Bull talent may not be knocking on the door hard enough yet, but in four years, Perez has proved that he does not belong at a top team like Red Bull Racing. From day one, he has been on average four tenths slower than Verstappen in qualifying. In 2022, the gap was slightly smaller at three tenths, only to lose by four tenths again in the following years. In races, partly due to his poor qualifying, Perez therefore always finishes (well) behind Max Verstappen.
Whereas in the past and in the present Red Bull intervenes harshly in such situations, it does not do so with Perez. Twice, Red Bull already extended Perez's contract. The Mexican even has a deal in his pocket until 2026. It would be a 1+1 deal with options to part ways, but even then the question is why?
Because based on his performance, Perez does not deserve that seat. In the 2024 qualifying duel, the gap has only widened and in the races the difference is glaring. Verstappen is on his way to the world title, Perez is eighth in the world championship and may end the season with three times fewer points than his teammate.
Perez's misperformance in 2024
Looking at the points Perez has scored this season, one might think he is a midfield driver. After the Miami Grand Prix, Perez scored a total of 48 points in 15 Grands Prix. An average of 3.2 points per race weekend. Verstappen scored 257 in the same period, with the same car, good for an average of 17.1 points per weekend.
One wonders what Perez has to do to get sacked. On more than one occasion he has had series that he did not even make it into the final qualifying section, as he again failed to get through to Q2 in Las Vegas. Perez says it is all down to the car, but his teammate is driving a time almost a second faster at the same time on the track. So it is not down to the car.
When you see Carlos Sainz in action for Ferrari, and realise that he must drive in a Williams next year, you do wonder how on earth this is possible. Perez in 2025 in a Red Bull, Sainz in 2025 in a Williams. With some irony, you can probably still predict that Sainz will also score more points than Perez in the Williams.