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Red Bull Racing Principal Christian Horner has shared his thoughts on Sergio Perez's future with Red Bull, suggesting that the Mexican driver may ultimately have control over whether he stays with the team. Despite Perez's struggles this season, Horner emphasized the importance of the final race in Abu Dhabi for the driver’s potential future.
Sergio Perez faced another challenging weekend in Qatar, failing to finish the Grand Prix, while his teammate, four-time world champion Max Verstappen, went on to secure another victory. The result officially ruled Red Bull out of contention for this year’s constructors' title, leaving the battle for the title between Ferrari and McLaren.
This marks the first time since 1983 that a team producing the winning driver has failed to finish in the top two of the constructors' standings. While Red Bull still has a slim chance of taking second place, they are currently 38 points behind Ferrari with only 44 points remaining in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Pressure on Perez Throughout the Season
Perez has been under mounting pressure for much of the 2024 season, despite an impressive start to the year. He earned a contract extension after securing four podium finishes in the first five races. However, his results have since dwindled, and Horner admitted to Sky Sports F1 that Perez’s recent lack of strong performances has been costly for the team.
Perez’s struggles continued in Qatar, where he retired from the race after spinning off and finishing last in the Sprint race.
Horner Reflects on Red Bull's Performance
When asked about Perez, Horner noted Red Bull's impressive performance this year, securing nine Grand Prix wins, all of which came from Verstappen. In contrast, other teams have seen victories shared between their drivers.
“First of all, we’ve won nine Grands Prix this year to five of any other team, Now, all of those nine have come from Max [Verstappen], whereas every other team has split between two drivers," Horner explained.
Horner acknowledged that while Red Bull is now out of contention for the constructors’ title, there is still a slim chance they could finish second. However, he noted that the situation is frustrating, as constructors' standings directly impact financial distribution.
“That’s very frustrating because that’s obviously where the financial revenues are distributed from,” Horner added. “Now, it does give us more wind tunnel time if you look at it from a glass-half-full perspective with the new regulations coming in ’26. It does give us more wind tunnel time to accommodate those new regs.”
Perez's Contributions and Current Struggles
Despite Perez’s recent struggles, Horner emphasized his significant contributions to Red Bull's success in previous seasons. He played a key role in helping Verstappen win the 2021 championship and contributed to the team’s constructors’ championships in 2022 and 2023.
“Checo has been a wonderful driver for us, certainly in ’21, ’22, ’23,” , He contributed to Max’s championship in ’21, constructors’ championships in ’22 and ’23. And, most of all, he’s a great guy, and he’s not enjoying the situation he’s in at the moment," Horner said.
Horner also acknowledged the pressure Perez faces in the highly competitive F1 environment and reassured that Red Bull would continue supporting him through the final race in Abu Dhabi.
“He knows the pressures of this business, and we are going to give him all the support we can to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi next weekend. What he decides to do, that will be his decision at the end of the day,” Horner added.
Future of Perez: A Decision for the Driver
When pressed about whether the decision to keep Perez at Red Bull would ultimately be made by the team or by the driver himself, Horner suggested that it would be up to Perez to decide if he wants to continue with the team, especially given any potential break clauses in his contract that remain unknown.
“I think he’s old enough and wise enough to come to his own conclusions, But there is still a race to go, so let’s get to the end of Abu Dhabi and see where we are at," Horner concluded.
As the season comes to a close, all eyes will be on Perez’s performance in Abu Dhabi and what decision he will make regarding his future at Red Bull.
