Sergio Perez may have signed a new contract at Red Bull, but he’s struggling to repay the team’s faith as it stands. His poor run of form continued at the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend.
Perez penned a two-year extension but, according to reports, only the first year of that agreement is guaranteed. If he can’t meet certain performance clauses in 2025, he could be out the door.
That makes his current displays worrying. The expectation is that next season will be similar to the current campaign, with Red Bull up against McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes in a close battle at the front.
And since their rivals closed in, Perez simply hasn’t been able to keep up. He started outside the top 10 for the fourth race in a row in Barcelona, though he was carrying a three-place grid penalty and did have to give Max Verstappen a tow on his final Q3 lap.
His eventual eighth-place finish was still underwhelming, particularly as Verstappen won the race to make it seven victories in 10 rounds. It took until the final lap for him to get past the Alpine of Pierre Gasly.
Perez has now scored just eight points across the past four Grand Prix weekends. That stretch has seen him slip to fifth in the championship, 108 points behind his teammate.
Michael Bleekemolen warns Sergio Perez he may be ‘finished’
Speaking to Racing News 365, racing driver Michael Bleekemolen issued a brutal verdict on Perez’s recent displays. Bleekemolen entered five F1 races but only competed in one – the 1978 US Grand Prix.
He says the Mexican may need to re-learn the ‘basics’ based on how he’s driven lately. And he’s also concerned about the implications for his future.
In his opinion, Red Bull should go after Carlos Sainz. Christian Horner decided against signing him for 2025 given his tense relationship with Verstappen during their rookie campaigns at Toro Rosso.
Sainz is choosing between Alpine, Williams and Audi as he prepares to leave Ferrari. But he’d likely accept an offer from the Bulls in a year’s time.
“He could visit our kart track to learn a few racing lines and some of the basics, because otherwise he’s finished,” Bleekemolen said of Perez. “That would be a shame, but that’s the way it is.
“And I still have to see whether he can hold up to his contract. People are still scratching their heads. Another thing is: who is available, fast and good? And then I would say: get Sainz.”
Helmut Marko tells Perez what he ‘can’t afford’ to do
Damon Hill suggested that Perez was visibly ‘not happy’ at the Spanish GP. He may have achieved his main goal for the season already, but he now finds himself in a deep rut.
BBC F1’s Marc Priestley adds that the 34-year-old is ‘suffering massively’ as he tries to halt the slide. He started the year in solid fashion with three runner-up podiums in four races, but multiple drivers have now slotted into the considerable gap between him and Verstappen.
Indeed, Red Bull executive director Helmut Marko admits that Perez ‘can’t afford any weaknesses’ now that ‘everything is so close together’. With Mercedes improving and Oscar Piastri only 24 points behind, Perez could conceivably finish seventh in the standings this year.
Verstappen’s robotic consistency at the front of the field may be enough for them to retain their constructors’ title regardless. But that wouldn’t be a discussion at all if Perez was delivering.
The post ‘Otherwise he’s finished’: Ex-F1 driver invites Sergio Perez to kart track to learn ‘basics’ appeared first on F1 Oversteer.