How Sergio Perez’s father reacted in the Red Bull motorhome to his performance at Spa

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When Sergio Perez crossed the line at the conclusion of the Belgian Grand Prix, he would have known that his performance produced more questions than answers.

Red Bull once again had their lead reduced by McLaren and Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship with Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton respectively finishing on the podium.

Max Verstappen could only recover to 4^th after taking a 10-place grid penalty for changing elements of his power unit but did at least overtake Lando Norris to protect his lead in the driver’s standings.

However, Sergio Perez failed to convert a front-row start into a much-needed podium finish and could only muster a 7^th-place finish as well as a point for securing the fastest lap.

The signs after the race were not good with Helmut Marko delivering a harsh critique of Perez’s performance at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Christian Horner was marginally more positive about Perez but nothing either man said suggested that Perez’s race seat was safe.

A report from F1 Insider shared how Perez’s father – Antonio Perez – reacted to his son’s performance at Spa.

Perez’s father is a Mexican politician but was at the race in Belgium to support his son amid rumours that it could be his final race for the team.

As it transpired, Perez was given a vote of confidence to continue beyond the summer break, but that was far from clear on Sunday afternoon.

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How Sergio Perez’s father reacted to his son’s performance at Spa

Perez knew a meeting over his future was arranged after the race in Spa and would have been wondering whether a 7^th-place finish was enough to keep him on the grid before the Dutch Grand Prix.

Horner delivered a message to the Red Bull factory on Monday to let them know that the Mexican driver wouldn’t be going anywhere, but the 34-year-old still faced a nervous wait.

The report from F1 Insider says that Antonio Perez sat in the Red Bull motorhome and at the end of the race, looked as if he’d ‘just lost an election’.

They go on to say that he ‘crouched alone at a table’ while waiting for his son and looked ‘a shadow of his former self’.

Nothing about his demeanour suggested that Perez was going to survive the meeting between the senior Red Bull hierarchy but the Mexican lives to fight another day.

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Sergio Perez was potentially saved by a lack of standout options at Red Bull

Red Bull have the luxury of having four available race seats in Formula 1 but that also creates some problems.

Marko and Horner disagreed on the best replacement for Perez should they have chosen to move him on during the summer break.

Daniel Ricciardo was most likely to step up into Perez’s seat and while he has improved in recent races, his form hasn’t stood out enough to warrant an immediate promotion.

Senior Red Bull staff never considered Yuki Tsunoda leaving Liam Lawson as the only other option.

Ultimately, it makes a lot more sense for Lawson to wait until an RB seat becomes available putting more pressure on Ricciardo ahead of next year.

Perez is safe for now, although his father will hope his results improve to avoid him having to go through a similar ordeal in the Red Bull garage again.