Sergio Perez has reportedly been handed an ultimatum by Red Bull and told he must finish at least in second place in the remaining five races this season. The Mexican is under contract until the end of the 2024 season but his future has been left hanging in a precarious position as he battles to finish second in the Drivers’ Championship, and Perez has reportedly been warned that he will be axed if does not improve his position.
The 34-year-old has only finished on the podium once in his last five races and his last three races on track have yielded only five points. In that same timeframe, his team-mate and three-time world champion Max Verstappen has collected 69 points, with the Dutchman boasting an incredible 209-point lead over his colleague.
And after holding showdown talks with the team, Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte report Perez has been given an ultimatum of finishing at least second in each of the last five races of the season – or face being replaced by reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo.
In addition to Ricciardo, Red Bull have also added AlphaTauri pair Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson to the shortlist after the pair impressed them this season. Lawson’s performances in particular, gaining two championship points in his second race in F1 as a rookie, have caught the eye of Horner.
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As for the long-term, Horner would be keen on partnering Verstappen with one of Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri. But the pair are under contract with McLaren until at least 2025, forcing the Austrian manufacturer to consider drivers from their own pool for now.
Red Bull have already wrapped up the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, so all efforts can be focused on helping Perez fight to keep his place in Austin, Mexico City, Interlagos, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi. Team principal Christian Horner has publicly backed Perez and insisted Red Bull will try to help him rediscover his best form on the track, with Perez under contract for another year.
“All these drivers are under contract, and we’ve got AlphaTauri as well. But we have a contract with Sergio, so we’re determined,” he said after the race.
“We’ve not seen the best of Sergio and we need to unpick what it is that’s causing this slump in form for him. We’re going to support him as much as we can to achieve that.”
But the Briton’s public admission that Perez ‘had a shocker’ at the last race in Qatar has prompted concern for his future. Privately, there are concerns that the six-time race winner is not meeting expectations in the RB19 and there are three drivers ready to replace him if he leaves.
Perez was an innocent bystander as his Red Bull was collected in an incident involving Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg in the F1 Sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix.
However, his 10th-placed finish in the main event on Sunday was an example of his lack of confidence behind the wheel and he picked up three penalties totalling 15 seconds, denying him precious points and putting himself under the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons.
