Midway through the Formula 1 2024 season, Red Bull made the decision not to fire Sergio Perez because they didn’t want to take a chance on upsetting Max Verstappen.
Following his lack of a race win and his four podium positions this season, all of which came in the first five races, Perez’s future has come under heavy pressure. With 131 points, he is presently ranked seventh in the F1 Driver’s standings, less than half of what Verstappen has accumulated with 277 points thus far this season.
The turning moment occurred when Perez qualified second for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, with Verstappen starting back in 11th. Based only on performance, the 34-year-old finished behind his teammate.
Soon after, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko had confrontational conversations in London to talk about his future, and they ultimately decided to maintain him in the position.
Although it’s well acknowledged that Perez isn’t doing well enough to make Verstappen uneasy, F1 journalist Brandon Sutton gave an explanation of the Austrian team’s decision to hold onto him for the foreseeable future when appearing on the Total Motorsport F1 show.
“There are reasons for Perez to stay, the major reason being the constructors’ championship, but he’s obviously not a threat to Verstappen, and that will help Red Bull a lot in attempting to stay ahead of Lando Norris in the title fight,” Sutton stated.
“In actuality, you’re putting someone like [Yuki] Tsunoda—who hasn’t really sat in a Red Bull—into a Red Bull that is obviously having problems, and [Daniel] Ricciardo—do we even know if he’s still the driver he was in 2020 after what Norris did to him?
“But at least with Perez, he knows the team, knows Verstappen, knows what the development path at Red Bull should be in theory. So even if he’s not quick, he has the knowledge of it. If you swap them this season, you’re gambling on Ricciardo getting closer.”
He added: “It’s a very sensitive time for Verstappen based on everything that’s gone on at Red Bull this year. The last thing you want to do is throw in a driver that can challenge him and just unsettle him a little bit more, if he is unsettled.”
Perez has ‘hardest job’ in F1 at Red Bull
Verstappen has been partnered with four team-mates since joining Red Bull in 2016, with Daniel Ricciardo the only driver to beat him in the Driver’s Championship in 2016 and 2017.
Since then, the Dutchman has dominated against the likes of Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and now Perez, who has been his colleague since 2021.
Total Motorsport writer Adam Dickinson suggested that driving alongside Verstappen is the most difficult job in F1, casting doubt on whether it is beneficial for all parties for Perez to stay beyond 2024.
“I think it’s the hardest job in motorsport,” Dickinson said, when appearing on the Total Motorsport Show. “Perez is still a very good driver and he’s in the top half of the drivers on the grid.
“But I think when you’re alongside Verstappen, unless you’re in that top tier of drivers, you are going to be worn down over time as he has. It’s his third season and I think we’re seeing that relentless 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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