Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed a decision will be taken on whether Sergio Perez will race with the team in 2025 once the current Formula 1 season ends.
Perez’s prospects at Red Bull have been scrutinised throughout this term amid a wretched season which sees him trail 204 points behind team-mate Max Verstappen.
Red Bull endeavoured to dampen the speculation surrounding his position when it announced back in June that Perez had penned a multi-term renewal through 2026.
However, that news hasn’t inspired the uptick that it was hoping for as Perez, who languishes eighth in the championship, remains without a single podium since April.
But although the team decided to grant him a reprieve during the summer break, Perez’s continuous struggles since have reignited rumours that he might be replaced.
That has increased since Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted Liam Lawson’s mid-season promotion to RB is about assessing his credentials for the senior setup.
Meanwhile, Marko has ramped up the pressure on Perez as he repeated that the Mexican’s contractual status won’t guarantee he will partner Verstappen next season.
“Perez may have a contract, but Formula 1 is a meritocracy,” Marko told F1 Insider. “If the performance is not right, even contracts are useless.
“At the end of the season, we will sit down together and decide who is the best team-mate for Verstappen at Red Bull.”
Red Bull’s title hopes rest on Perez
Perez’s woes have contributed to Red Bull squandering the Constructors’ Championship lead to McLaren, while Ferrari looks braced to demote the champions to third.
Horner has admitted that Red Bull reviving its dwindling title hopes will be dependent on Perez offering a greater presence at the sharp end in the remaining five races.
“Look Ferrari, again, congratulations to them this weekend,” Horner told media including Motorsport Week in Austin.
“They’ve been very, very strong. And they’ve got two drivers that are competing at the front.
“McLaren, likewise, their drivers, there’s not a big deficit between them. So, you know, that’s where we really need for the Constructors to have Checo come into play.”
Perez prepares for homecoming
Horner hopes that the mass support Perez will receive at his home event at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend will be the morale boost that he needs.
“Well, hopefully, with the support that he’ll receive in Mexico, it’ll, again, it’ll give him that boost.
“When you qualify out of position, you lose so much time coming through tail-end cars in the top 10 that you’ve then lost contact with the rest of the race.”
READ MORE: Red Bull sends latest wake-up call to Sergio Perez over F1 results
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