Sergio Perez seems to please everybody at Red Bull, including Helmut Marko, owing to his consistent form so far. Last season was not the same case. The Mexican driver started the 2023 season really well. He won two races of the first four GPs. Hence, he was right up there as a contender for the title along with Max Verstappen, who also won two of the first four races. However, since the Miami Grand Prix in 2023, things went downhill for the teammate of Max Verstappen. First of all, the Dutchman was creating a lot of pressure on Checo as he went on to win ten races on the trot last year.
That’s the record for most consecutive Grand Prix wins in Formula 1. While Max was busy breaking records, Checo was struggling with consistency. He had multiple DNFs during qualifying sessions. On top of that, there were rumors that Red Bull was looking for his replacements. All these added extra pressure on the Mexican driver. Later, he hired a mental coach to regain self-confidence. Clearly, 2023 was not a smooth ride for Checo. But after the way he started the 2024 season, Helmut Marko sees little reason not to extend his contract.
What Factor Can Play A Role In Deciding Checo’s Future As Per Red Bull Senior Advisor?
Both Helmut Marko and the team principal, Christian Horner mentioned as per GPblog.com that Sergio Perez is doing everything he needs to extend his seat at Red Bull. Most importantly, Checo must maintain the consistency. He knows it will be a long season. Hence, there can be any moment when things might go downhill again for the Mexican driver like last year. But Checo must see to it that 2023 doesn’t repeat again. However, he had a P2 finish at the end of the last season. But the gap between him and his teammate was far too big. However, Helmut Marko mentioned that there is nothing against Checo if he continues to stay in good form and keeps coming with reasonable conditions for an extension.
But if there is one reason that can let Red Bull look elsewhere is the Mexican’s demand about the length of the contract. Apparently, Sergio Perez is looking for a two-year extension. But Christian Horner and Helmut Marko might be a little reluctant to agree to that term. On the other hand, Marko talked about Carlos Sainz Jr. as a possible replacement for Perez. However, Red Bull can’t match the lucrative offer of Audi to Sainz. Anyway, Sergio Perez is having the best season of his career so far, and he won’t want to mess it up in any way.
Why Is Sergio Perez Looking For A Two-Year Extension?
In an interview with the Mexican branch of ESPN, Sergio Perez mentioned it is very logical for his contract extension to be for another couple of years. Checo feels it is essential because the regulations will change drastically in 2026. For Sergio Perez, it does not make any sense that a team would contract a driver for just a year and then just leave the door open. Adding to that, Checo pointed out the new developments happening during the current season for 2025 as an important reason why he should sign a “Long-term project.”
If Red Bull management, including Horner and Marko doesn’t agree with Checo, they can sign Carlos Sainz Jr. The Spaniard has been the most successful non-Red Bull driver in terms of wins since 2023. He is making way for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next year. Hence, among the drivers without a contract for the next year, Carlos is the best option.
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