Sergio Perez had a pretty good start to the season. Nobody expected him to beat the likes of Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso. Albeit he drives an RB19, Lewis Hamilton and Alonso have a much superior track record than Checo. However, surprisingly enough, the only driver who could challenge Max Verstappen this season was his teammate. But the credit goes to the Red Bull team to build the fastest car on the grid. Moreover, Adrian Newey has successfully designed yet another car. Adding to that, the Honda engines have worked miracles for the Austrian team. For back-to-back seasons, Red Bull is dominating because of their superior cars.
Things changed drastically since the Miami Grand Prix. Currently, the most common question is how come Max has won nine consecutive races, and Checo won none since the Miami GP. There were even rumors about a clause in his contract with Red Bull that states he might not get the promised salary if he can’t close the gap between him and Verstappen. If the rumor is true, then the Mexican is genuinely under a lot of stress. What will happen to Checo after the current season?
Will Sergio Perez Sign A Separation Agreement With Red Bull At The End Of The Season?
F1 pundit Ralf Schumacher recently suggested Checo might have a separation agreement with his team after this season. Even in the Dutch GP last weekend, Sergio Perez made multiple mistakes and allowed Fernando Alonso to go past him. Later, he could not even get a podium finish. He finished fourth at Zandvoort. In his column for Sky Sports Germany, Ralf Schumacher mentioned Checo made a mistake again when he drove to the barriers while entering for the pit stop.
The mistake cost him another penalty. Moreover, Ralf Schumacher feels Sergio Perez’s staying in the Red Bull team is a matter of a few more days. On top of that, Helmut Marko has never been that kind toward Checo. Adding to that, Sergio Perez looked a bit grumpy and absent all weekend. Instead, the Austrian team might sign Lando Norris in Checo’s place.
Why Checo Feels He Is Under A Lot Of Pressure?
Initially, fans thought they could see an intense battle between Hamilton and Verstappen for the title, like in the 2021 season. Instead, they saw an intense rivalry between Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen at the start of the season. After the first four races, both Red Bull drivers had won two each. It looked exciting, even though it was no battle between Red Bull and Mercedes. Nonetheless, the idea of two drivers competing for the championship was pretty exciting, even if they were teammates. Moreover, in F1 history, there have been many examples of intense internal rivalry, like between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost or Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
However, things have changed since the Miami Grand Prix this season. Sergio Perez is no way around the title contention anymore. As he has allowed his teammate a free pass to his third back-to-back championships. However, Checo is still 2nd in the Driver’s standings and the only driver to cross 200 points so far. But he is 138 points behind Max Verstappen. Checo had to face a lot of scrutiny from all over the media and fans due to his inconsistency. Moreover, Sergio Perez mentioned several times that he is under tremendous pressure in the Red Bull team because of the incredible progress of his Dutch teammate.
