Juan Pablo Montoya shares what he could see in Sergio Perez’s ‘face’ as he made defiant Red Bull claim

Follow us on Google Discover

Sergio Perez has publicly refused to accept that he may lose his Red Bull seat at the end of the season. In his eyes, he’s under contract and that should be the end of the matter.

Perez admits he’s had a terrible season, although he doesn’t take full responsibility. He’s repeatedly pointed to issues with his RB20, and Max Verstappen strengthened his case with his handling complaints in recent months.

Red Bull engineers apologised to Perez in September because they hadn’t properly heeded his concerns before the team’s performance started to decline. But clearly, the Milton Keynes leadership don’t see that as an excuse for his woeful results.

Indeed, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have publicly stated that the second seat is up for grabs if Perez doesn’t improve. Liam Lawson has looked like the favourite, though one insider claims Red Bull’s shareholders have approved Franco Colapinto as a signing.

This indicates that the team are prepared to do what’s required to part with Perez if necessary. It’s unclear whether that means paying him off, or whether there’s a break clause in his contract.

The Mexican signed a new one-plus-one deal in June. Speaking in a live Instagram interview this week, Perez mocked the European media for ‘inventing’ stories about his future.

Juan Pablo Montoya says he could tell Sergio Perez was ‘frustrated’ by Red Bull questions

Formula 1 legend Juan Pablo Montoya saw clips from that interview and shared his observations with AS Colombia. He says Perez was visibly ‘frustrated’ with the constant questions and gossip.

Montoya pointed out that the team proactively offered him a new contract, rather than Perez triggering a renewal clause. They’re now effectively considering whether they should retract that offer.

Equally, the former McLaren driver can understand why there’s so much speculation. Typically, the media won’t write about a driver losing his seat unless he’s struggling on track.

“I saw part of it and I found it interesting because you can see how frustrated his face is,” Montoya said. “Red Bull made that decision [to extend his contract] this year. So I see that [Perez leaving] as complicated on one hand. On the other hand, I’ll tell you the truth about the best rumours. It’s always what you deserve.”

Red Bull would have to ignore one glaring statistic to keep Sergio Perez

Perez wants nearly £16m to walk away from Red Bull, it emerged this week. But unlike a beleaguered football manager who’s refusing to resign, the 34-year-old isn’t motivated by the potential payout.

He clearly remains determined to compete at the highest level. Perez’s father is ‘very excited’ about the future, hinting that he’ll keep his frontrunning seat.

ESPN journalist Nate Saunders says there are growing signs Red Bull will keep Perez. The cost, combined with the inexperience of the alternatives, might save him.

But Perez has been even slower than Logan Sargeant on race days relative to his teammate. Given that Sargeant lost his seat in August, that’s a damning statistic, and one that would make a driver change entirely justifiable.