The uncertainty surrounding Perez’s future has fueled relentless speculation, prompted by the substantial performance gap that has emerged between him and his teammate Max Verstappen this season.
Verstappen’s dominance was once again evident as he secured an impressive ninth consecutive victory at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday.
Adding to the intrigue, recent remarks made by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko have intensified the speculation.
Helmut Marko hinted that Perez might not be entirely committed to retaining his seat for the 2024 season, despite having a valid contract in place.
The return of Daniel Ricciardo with AlphaTauri has widely been interpreted as a potential audition for Perez’s Red Bull seat.
While this move could be considered more in the context of the 2025 season rather than the upcoming year, it has further added to the uncertainty surrounding Perez’s position within the team.
In the aftermath of the Dutch Grand Prix race, Christian Horner has emphatically and definitively announced that Sergio Perez will indeed retain his seat for the 2024 season.
This announcement comes as a firm response to the recent comments made by Helmut Marko, leaving no room for uncertainty regarding Perez’s position within the team.
“Checo’s situation for next year is clear,” Horner stated. “He’s a Red Bull Racing driver. We have an agreement with him.
He added: “Irrelevant of agreements, we’re pleased with the job that he’s doing. You saw his drive today, he was unlucky with the pit lane speed limiter [which cost Perez a five-second penalty that dropped him off the podium to fourth].
“He’s second in the world championship, he’s the only driver rather than Max to have won grands prix this year.
“It’s easy to beat up on him when the barometer is so high on the other side, but he will be our driver in 2024.”
