Sergio Perez has told Red Bull to ‘focus on the car’ after hearing Christian Horner comments

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Sergio Perez appears to be at odds with Red Bull bosses Christian Horner and Helmut Marko right now. There’s no public indication of a fallout, but they certainly disagree on his contract situation.

Six-time race-winner Perez won’t ‘admit’ that his contract isn’t watertight. Instead, he remains bullish about his future, stating that Red Bull will honour the commitment they made in June.

However, Horner and Marko have openly discussed changing their driver line-up. Red Bull can break Perez’s deal because he fell too far behind Max Verstappen before the summer break.

It’s unclear what he can do, if anything, to salvage the situation at this point. He was rapid in Azerbaijan, outqualifying Verstappen for the first and only time all season, but regressed in Singapore a week later.

So even if Perez shines at another street circuit in Las Vegas later this month, it may not convince Red Bull to keep him. They need to see signs of a lasting breakthrough.

Verstappen has survived in the drivers’ championship even without any real support from his teammate – he could seal the title in Vegas – but Perez has clearly cost Red Bull in the constructors’. They’re currently third in the standings, 49 points off leaders McLaren.

Sergio Perez’s response as Christian Horner says they need him to be closer to Max Verstappen

Speaking at the Red Bull factory at the start of this week, Horner said Perez must ‘step up his game’. It’s a message he’s consistently repeated in the media.

Horner has lamented the ‘significant’ gap between his drivers, but Perez doesn’t think this should be his biggest concern. According to ESPN Deportes, the Mexican says ‘Red Bull should focus on the car instead of giving notes to the media’.

Red Bull have struggled in the development race this year, allowing McLaren and Ferrari to overtake them in the pecking order. They started the year with a dominant car, but even Verstappen has complained about the RB20 becoming increasingly difficult to drive.

Verstappen’s remarks saw Red Bull engineers apologise to Perez. But while that does offer some mitigation, it doesn’t excuse his underperformance in the eyes of decision-makers.

Red Bull could offer Sergio Perez a new role if he loses Formula 1 seat

As it stands, Liam Lawson looks the favourite to partner Verstappen in 2025. The New Zealander’s strong return at RB suggests he could be closer to the Dutchman.

Lawson has scored points twice in his first three races this year and compared well to Yuki Tsunoda, who had an additional three-quarters of the season to adapt to the car. If he receives a promotion and struggles, then Perez will feel vindicated.

It’s possible that he’ll stay within the family if he loses his drive. Red Bull are ready to make Perez an ambassador for their brand.

They’re hoping he chooses to retire rather than initiate a contract dispute. From the PR perspective, that would be the best possible outcome.