Red Bull chose not to fire Sergio Perez midway through the Formula One 2024 season because they did not want to upset Max Verstappen.
Perez’s future has been under great criticism after failing to win a race and finishing on the podium four times this season, all of which occurred in the first five races. He is now ninth in the F1 Drivers’ Standings, with 131 points, less than half of Verstappen’s total of 277 this season.
The tipping point came when Perez started second on the grid at Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix, with Verstappen back in 11th – and the 34-year-old finished second to his teammate based solely on performance.
Shortly after, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko convened showdown negotiations in London to debate his future before agreeing to keep him in the seat.
While it is widely acknowledged that Perez is not driving well enough to make Verstappen uncomfortable, F1 journalist Brandon Sutton, speaking on the Total Motorsport F1 show, explained why the Austrian team decided to keep him for the foreseeable future.
“He’s definitely not a threat to Verstappen and that’s going to help Red Bull a lot in trying to stay ahead of Lando Norris in the title fight, but there are actually reasons for Perez to stay, the main reason is the constructors’ championship,” Sutton told the BBC.
“Realistically, if you throw another driver into a Red Bull that clearly has issues, you’re putting someone like [Yuki] Tsunoda in who’s never sat in a Red Bull, and [Daniel] Ricciardo, do we even know if he’s the same racer he was in 2020 after what Norris did to him?
“But, at the very least, Perez is familiar with the team, Verstappen, and the theoretical development path at Red Bull. So, even if he isn’t quick, he is aware of the situation. If you change them this season, you’re betting on Ricciardo going closer.”
He continued, “It’s a very delicate period for Verstappen given everything that’s happened at Red Bull this year. If he is already uneasy, the last thing you want to do is introduce a driver who will test him and further unnerve him.”
Perez has the ‘hardest job’ in Formula One at Red Bull.
Verstappen has been teamed with four teammates since joining Red Bull in 2016, with Daniel Ricciardo being the only driver to defeat him in the Drivers Championship in 2016 and 2017.
Since then, the Dutchman has trounced opponents such as Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and now Perez, who has been his teammate since 2021.
Total Motorsport writer Adam Dickinson stated that driving alongside Verstappen is the most demanding job in F1, raising questions about whether Perez’s extension beyond 2024 is beneficial to all parties.
“I think it’s the hardest job in motorsport,” Dickinson stated while speaking on the Total Motorsport Show. “Perez is still a very good driver, ranked in the top half of the field.
“But I believe that unless you’re in the top tier of drivers, you’ll be worn down over time, just like Verstappen has. It’s his third season, and I believe the relentlessness is starting to take its toll.
“I don’t really know if it’s best for anyone that he stays there, but at the same time, we don’t see many driver swaps [mid-season].”
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