What Red Bull insiders are saying about Sergio Perez’s future after the British Grand Prix

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When the chequered flag waved at the end of the British Grand Prix, Sergio Perez crossed the line two laps behind teammate Max Verstappen.

It was the latest disastrous weekend for a driver who knows he needs to be doing better considering he’s racing for the current leaders of the Constructors’ Championship.

Sergio Perez came into the season knowing that despite finishing second to Max Verstappen last season in the Drivers’ Championship, he needed to take his performances up a level.

Christian Horner told Perez to improve his qualifying performances and while there was a small uptick in his form at the beginning of the campaign, he’s rapidly gone downhill.

A report from the Dutch outlet Telegraaf has shared more information about the Mexican’s future.

Perez has performance clauses in his contract that mean Red Bull could potentially let him go during the summer break.

Theoretically, that gives the 34-year-old just two races to improve his performance and one of those clauses looks next to impossible to salvage because of the points difference between himself and Verstappen.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean Red Bull will pull the trigger, especially as the alternatives available to Christian Horner aren’t pulling up any trees.

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How Red Bull insiders are viewing Sergio Perez’s future

The report from Telegraaf suggests that it’s ‘very questionable’ that Perez will be driving for Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break if things don’t improve quickly.

The report talks about the pressure ‘increasing’ on Perez, especially with Liam Lawson about to take part in a filming day in the RB20.

Christian Horner responded to talk about Lawson’s filming day after the race, but the timing is very similar to when Daniel Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries last year.

Ahead of the British Grand Prix, Horner and Perez had an ‘extensive’ conversation and he’s going to need strong weekends in Hungary and Belgium to secure his seat.

However, they go on to say that insiders at Red Bull have been told that Perez needs to ‘perform better’ during the summer break if he wants to keep his seat.

Unfortunately for Perez, it’s hard to see an upturn in form arriving quickly as at every race since Miami he seems to be facing a different problem.

He’s also unlucky that he drives for the one team that have more F1-ready drivers available to them than current open seats.

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Who could replace Sergio Perez after the summer break?

Red Bull realistically have three options they can choose from if they decide to move Sergio Perez on during the summer break.

Daniel Ricciardo dreams of returning to Red Bull, but he’s been second-best to teammate Yuki Tsunoda for the majority of the 2024 season.

The Japanese driver has spent three-and-a-half seasons trying to prove to Red Bull that he’s deserving of a promotion.

The 24-year-old has already earned a contract for a fifth year with the team but it doesn’t look likely that he’ll make the step up any time soon.

Red Bull are considering replacing Perez with Lawson who could skip the Visa Cash App RB team entirely.

It would put a lot of pressure on the young Kiwi but may be a popular choice with Verstappen who enjoys having a teammate who is aware that he’s a number two driver.

Replacing Perez may also pique the interest of Carlos Sainz who still hasn’t decided his future beyond 2024.

If he thinks Red Bull might be interested in bringing in an experienced driver from outside the group like when they hired Perez, then he would be the obvious candidate.