Sergio Perez is reportedly close to being re-signed by Red Bull for 2025, with a deal potentially being announced ahead of next month’s Canadian Grand Prix.
However, the Mexican’s recent performances have raised concerns among Red Bull’s top brass, possibly leading the latter to delay their all-important driver line-up decision.
Perez's impressive opening to his 2024 season bolstered his case for a contract renewal.
His consistent podium finishes alongside Max Verstappen reassured Red Bull that a status quo would be the best path forward for the team, even despite the unexpected arrival on the drivers’ market of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Red Bull reportedly favored a one-year extension, and Perez seemed optimistic about a swift resolution.
However, the past three races have seen a significant drop in Perez's form. This slump has coincided with Red Bull hitting its own rough patch, potentially the most challenging since F1’s ground-effect regulations were introduced in 2022.
The 34-year-old’s lackluster results in Miami and at Imola were compounded by a disastrous Monaco Grand Prix weekend, where he failed to make the Q2 cut in qualifying and then crashed on the opening lap of the race after a run-in with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.
Perez’s underperformance has triggered an alarm bell at Red Bull which has significantly underscored Ferrari and McLaren in the recent period.
“This weekend’s been pretty brutal for him," commented team boss Christian Horner after last weekend’s bust in Monte Carlo.
"Obviously we need to make sure that we’ve got both cars up there scoring points because we cannot dismiss the threat of Ferrari and McLaren in both championships."
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For now, Horner is sticking by the assessment he made after Imola, when he suggested that Perez’s disappointing results were “just a blip”.
“Checo’s first six races, he was very strong,” he added in Monaco. “He was qualifying on the front row and finishing second and third and scoring very well.
“We just need to get him back into that position of confidence and not to see a dip.”
Horner also contended that last weekend’s events would not impact Red Bull’s decision regarding Perez’s future.
“I think that it’s more on our timing,” he said. “We’ll make a decision in the fullness of time.”
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