Sergio Perez told his Red Bull fate after what Marc Priestley’s heard from the F1 team

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Marc Priestley has now told Sergio Perez his fate as Red Bull weigh up the Mexican’s future with the team after what the BBC pundit has heard from the Formula 1 outfit.

Perez may have felt he had overcome the ever-increasing pressure to stay at Red Bull back in June. But since signing a two-year contract extension with the team from Milton Keynes, the question marks have only returned larger than ever amid a host of disappointing results.

Red Bull sought to extend Perez’s contract ahead of this season’s Canadian Grand Prix after earning four podiums in the first eight rounds. The team even elected to announce the deal days after Perez crashed just 15 seconds into the Monaco Grand Prix with Kevin Magnussen.

Marc Priestley thinks Red Bull have already decided to sack Sergio Perez

His race-ending contact in Monte Carlo did not even mark the start of Perez’s difficult run of form. The 34-year-old also only claimed P8 in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after qualifying in P11. It marked the start of a run of failing to reach Q3 at five of the next seven Grand Prix.

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Difficulties in the wet conditions saw Perez bow out in Q1 at the Canadian Grand Prix before also crashing in the race. The Mexican even beached his RB20 in the gravel at Silverstone to qualify P19 for the British Grand Prix. Perez also crashed in Q1 for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko admitted after Perez’s crash in qualifying for the Hungarian GP that a decision on his future will be made during the summer break. F1 splits up after this week’s Belgian Grand Prix but Priestley thinks the writing is already on the wall.

“On the face of it, it is a huge weekend for Sergio Perez,” Priestley declared on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. “The team have already said they will make decisions after the summer break. I think the decision has been made that he has to be replaced.

“You know what you are going to get from Perez, quite frankly suboptimal results. The team need two drivers in that fight [with McLaren for the constructors’ championship].”

McLaren are taking advantage of Sergio Perez’s lack of results

Red Bull choosing to extend Perez’s contract in June has left the team having to weigh up his future again, having otherwise been free to part at the end of 2024 when his previous terms expired. The new deal also ensures Red Bull face paying Perez $5m (£4m) to part ways now.

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But the price may prove worthwhile with Perez’s struggles allowing McLaren to eat into Red Bull’s championship lead. Red Bull have won the past two constructors’ titles to reach six all-time in Formula 1. Yet McLaren are a rival in 2024 as they target a ninth but first since 1998.

McLaren hammered home their status as a genuine threat at the Hungarian GP when Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris home for a one-two. Red Bull had one driver on the podium in Max Verstappen but Perez could only recover to seventh, his joint-best finish in seven Grand Prix.