Why Red Bull star Sergio Perez will be ‘traumatised’ after the Mexico City Grand Prix

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Sergio Perez is under immense pressure to keep his seat at Red Bull, but his performance in Mexico City will not have helped his cause.

The Red Bull driver has been considerably outperformed by his teammate Max Verstappen in 2024. Perez has not finished on the podium since China or in the top five since Miami.

At the Mexico City Grand Prix, Perez would have been hoping for a change in fortune on home soil and make up for his disastrous race last year where he was wiped out at the first corner.

But the 34-year-old’s struggles continued as he was eliminated in Q1 as one of two shock exits alongside the McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Things got worse before the race even started as Perez was handed a five-second time penalty for going too far forward in his grid slot and subsequently committed a false start. Helmut Marko was baffled by the ‘incomprehensible’ error as the Mexican was left at the back of the field after serving his punishment.

Perez was not the only Red Bull driver to receive a sanction from the stewards, as Verstappen was handed a 20-second penalty for running Lando Norris off the track at turns four and 10.

Sergio Perez will not ‘mentally come back’ from his Mexico City Grand Prix performance

Perez got himself into a heated battle on track with Liam Lawson during the race. The RB driver is hoping to prove that he is worthy of replacing the Mexican at Red Bull.

The two came to blows at turn five when the Kiwi driver re-joined the circuit from the grass and hit Perez, causing him sidepod damage. Perez called him an ‘idiot’ over the radio, while Lawson made a middle-finger gesture to the Red Bull driver as he passed him later in the race.

Lawson ended up finishing 16th after he was forced to pit for a new front wing following contact with Franco Colapinto. Perez was the last classified driver in 17th, and speaking on Drive to Wynn, Justin Bell highlighted that the Mexican would have been ‘traumatised’ by his performance on home soil and that he will not mentally recover.

“You can’t help but think the disappointment, even though they’re so passionate about Sergio Perez, the disappointment in his performance,” he said.

“But no one must have been more traumatised than him. I said last week, I think going to your home race always gives a driver wings, I mean that’s the Red Bull slogan, right?

“And I thought if it was ever going to be evident, it would be evident there, as he is [on] home soil. You know, Lewis won in England, I swear that it gives you that extra little bit of time.

“But it was dismal, and I don’t think mentally he’ll come back from this one. I think this is just one low moment too many.”

Who could replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull?

This poor result in Mexico has led to further speculation that Perez will be out of Red Bull before the end of the season. And he may even know it himself, as Perez’s actions before and after the race looked like a farewell to F1.

Perez’s father had made a post on social media after the Mexican GP that suggested that his son would retire following the race. However, Antonio Perez has since told fans not to get confused and that Mexico will have an F1 driver for many more years.

Red Bull are believed to be looking at several potential options to replace Perez in the future. Lawson seems to be the favourite, but Damon Hill thinks Yuki Tsunoda will be wondering why he is ‘overlooked’ for the second seat next to Verstappen.

Red Bull have reportedly offered £15.4m to Williams to sign Colapinto after his impressive performances so far this season. The Argentine will most likely join RB, while either Lawson or Tsunoda will replace Perez if he does get the sack.