While the spotlight throughout the season has been on RBR chaos and Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez’s performances have gone unnoticed. Although the Mexican driver started the season exactly how Red Bull wanted, midway, he lost momentum. This has been Perez’s career story, as he begins his season on the right note but fails to utilize the excellent start.
Moreover, Checo’s performance slump makes Red Bull one-legged in this world title fight. Since Max Verstappen is scoring the maximum points, Ferrari and McLaren have an opportunity to cut short the massive lead. Thus, Perez’s shoddy outings could force the Milton Keynes-based outfit to reconsider the contract extension decision. But is it legally possible to fire Checo after signing a fresh contract?
‘Performance Clause’ In Sergio Perez’s Contract Could Lead To His Dismissal
The answer to the question mentioned earlier is yes, but it isn’t as straightforward as it may feel. However, there are plenty of permutations and combinations that need to be figured out before sacking the current RBR driver. During the ESPN F1 Unlapped Podcast, Nate Saunders explained the performance clause that could facilitate Perez’s smooth exit from Red Bull. Saunders said every Red Bull driver, from Max Verstappen to Yuki Tsunoda, has a performance clause in the contract. Later, Saunder talked about Nyck De Vries, whose contract was terminated after five races. Thus, Perez could be the next victim of the performance clause. Earlier in 2023, De Vries joined the struggling Alpha Tauri (now VCRAB) team and failed to leave a mark. Thus, he was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo mid-season, who later got a contract extension till 2024.
Sergio Perez has scored 118 points in eleven races thus far. Perez has secured five podium finishes but hasn’t managed to secure a win, consistently trailing behind his teammate Max Verstappen. While Red Bull wouldn’t mind Checo being in the shadow of Verstappen, they still want him to score points consistently. The stiff competition will not give any breathing space to the reigning champions. Thus, a few underwhelming outings and the leaderboard could turn on its head. Additionally, in the last five races, Checo has scored fifteen points, which could be detrimental to RBR’s world title dream. Therefore, the team might consider replacing him with someone who could score points regularly. However, it would be a brave move to terminate an experienced racer in the middle of a season.
Who Could Potentially Be Verstappen’s Next Partner If Sergio Perez’s Contract Gets Diluted?
Recently, Red Bull confirmed that the rookie Isack Hadjar would drive in the FP1 of the British GP instead of Sergio Perez. Therefore, this could be a teaser of Red Bull’s plan. Other than Isack, Red Bull has some young, talented drivers in its pool. The most popular name Helmut Marko recently praised is 22-year-old Liam Lawson. Although the New Zealander is tipped to replace Daniel Ricciardo on the Visa Cash App RB team, he could be fast-forwarded to the senior squad.
Further, Daniel Ricciardo, who has been with the Red Bull team earlier, could replace Perez. Moreover, Marko said the Australian driver was offered the RBR seat, but then Perez got a contract extension.