Sergio Perez has been dealing with Red Bull contract extension rumors since last year. He did win a couple of races in 2023. But the gap between him and his teammate was a little too much. After all, Max Verstappen went on to win 19 Grands Prix. That level of domination can be a lot for any driver to beat. But the point is Checo and Max drove the same superior RB19 car. If the Dutch racer could be so successful, then why couldn’t the Mexican driver reduce the gap between them? Since then, there have been rumors that suggest Daniel Ricciardo is waiting in Alpha Tauri, the sister team of Red Bull, to replace Sergio Perez.
Moreover, very early in 2024, Lewis Hamilton announced that he would move to Ferrari in 2025. The Italian team added that Hamilton would replace Carlos Sainz Jr. next year. On the other hand, Checo’s contract ends with the Austrian outfit in 2024. Hence, the Spanish racer is an ideal candidate to replace the Mexican driver as well. On top of that, Carlos Sainz Jr. has been the only non-Red Bull racer to win a race since 2023. However, an F1 pundit reported that he heard a rumor that Checo had signed the extensions with Red Bull already.
Is It True That Sergio Perez Already Re-Signed With Red Bull?
Lately, Peter Windsor claimed that reliable sources informed him about Checo signing an extension with the current champions. On his YouTube channel, the F1 pundit mentioned as per “Pretty” reliable sources, the Mexican racer has signed the contract extensions with Red Bull for the following year. In that case, Peter Windsor added that fans might ask, “What was the rush?” Moreover, if these rumors are true, then the F1 pundit believes the Red Bull door would be closed for the 2024 Australian GP winner.
There were also rumors that Fernando Alonso could have replaced Checo as well. Anyway, since there has been no official announcement from Red Bull regarding a contract extension for Sergio Perez, the two Spaniards still have a teeny tiny chance to get a seat on the Austrian team. Moreover, Carlos Sainz Jr. has been in terrific form lately. Besides the Red Bull racers, he has been the only winner since last year. That speaks volumes of his current form. But his future is currently hanging in the Driver’s market. Since Hamilton would replace him, where will he go in 2025?
Helmut Marko Mentioned Things That Checo Must Do To Confirm His Seat
Checo’s future with Red Bull might still be doubtful. But the 80-year-old senior advisor of the Austrian team pointed out the Mexican racer’s qualifying performances as a big problem. In an interview, Helmut Marko mentioned that Sergio Perez’s only weakness is qualifying. If the Mexican driver manages to improve in that area, there is no need to think about replacing him.
Moreover, the senior advisor mentioned that the team atmosphere is pretty good as far as Checo’s concerned. On top of that, Marko said Carlos Sainz Jr. has been enjoying fascinating form lately. Sergio Perez, on the other hand, also had three good races in 2024 already. Moreover, Marko pointed out why Checo dropped so much back in the Australian GP. The 80-year-old advisor said the reason was the damaged underbody and tire degradation.
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