Sergio Perez underperforming Red Bull clause that could see him replaced this season

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Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull could be under threat with the latest revelation regarding his contract at the team.

The Mexican has endured a calamitous run of results having only scored 11 points in the last five races, while he has not qualified inside of the top five since the Miami Grand Prix.

Things did not get better during qualifying for the British GP when Perez spun off track while warming up his tyres, forcing him to start from 19th on the grid while teammate Max Verstappen qualified on the second row with a damaged car.

Pressure is mounting on Perez to improve his results as it starts to affect Red Bull’s position in the Constructors’ Championship, with first place being worth millions in prize money at the end of the season.

Although he signed a two-year extension with Red Bull earlier this year, the Mexican reportedly has a performance clause in his contract that enables them to sever ties if he does not meet certain targets.

Pressure mounts on Sergio Perez

According to RacingNews365, two main clauses in his contract could see him removed during the season.

This includes not being more than 100 points behind Verstappen after the Belgian GP, with the current gap being 119 points heading into the race at Silverstone.

The other clause dictates that he cannot be more than five places behind Verstappen in the standings. Perez is currently fifth place in the Drivers’ Championship with 118 points, but Oscar Piastri is behind on 112 points and George Russell on 111 points.

Along with consistent performances from Lewis Hamilton, who is on 85 points in 8th place, the trio have taken a lot of points out of Perez’s lead at recent races.

Given McLaren and Mercedes’ uptake in form, it is likely this trend could continue if Perez does not improve his results before the summer break in August. The Mexican has been told by Red Bull management that he must show improvements across the British, Hungarian, and Belgian Grands Prix or risk being replaced.

Who could replace Sergio Perez?

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has stated that Red Bull’s top priority is to get Perez back up to speed following his run of disappointing results. But should he fail to deliver any improvement, there are several options for the squad.

Daniel Ricciardo has been the theoretical replacement that many have touted should Red Bull decide to do a swap, but the Australian has not shown the required improvements at RB to justify the move so far this season.

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Liam Lawson looks set to take part in a post-race tyre test with Red Bull in the days after Silverstone, which could be used to evaluate whether he is a good enough replacement at short notice.

Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda also signed a contract extension with RB in June for the 2025 season, which means Red Bull could opt to promote him based on performance alone.