Red Bull deplores “untenable” situation with Pérez after another disastrous weekend at Silverstone

Has Sergio Pérez reached the point of no return at Red Bull ? At Silverstone, the Mexican experienced a real nightmare: eliminated in Q1 on Saturday due to going off the track, he was unable to climb back to the top of the table on Sunday. Forced to make daring – and failed – strategic choices with the rain, “Checo” finished far, very far from the top positions with a 17th place at the checkered flag, two laps behind his teammate Max Verstappen !

An unacceptable result for a team of the caliber of Red Bull, but which continues to repeat itself over the weeks. Since the announcement of his contract extension until 2026, Sergio Pérez only scored 11 points, compared to 86 for the Dutchman. A terrible observation for the Mexican who has had a series of poor performances, due in particular to very poor dynamics in qualifying like his accident at Silverstone in Q1.

“Of course it's frustrating when your two cars don't perform well together, regrets Christian Horner, main director of the Austrian team. It was frustrating to lose Checo in Q1, as he missed the first practice session due to the presence of Isack Hadjar. He had a good session in Free Practice 2. He probably should have been in the top six, so losing that car in Q1 was very frustrating. »

“When the rain started to come, he was 16th. At that point you roll the dice and like [Ferrari] did it with Leclerc, we chose the intermediaries, recognizes the British leader, who explains in particular that the strategy was constrained by his initial position. If the rain had started again it would have been a hero, but it didn't, so we had to make an extra stop and the loss of time due to the intermediate tire on a drying track cost him a lot of time. »

Pérez – Red Bull, how long will the marriage last?

By letting Max Verstappen fight one against two against the McLaren and Mercedes, Sergio Pérez also puts the Red Bull team in danger in the Constructors' Championship. If the team still has a good lead over its rivals, it is fading in the face of the strong comeback of the other teams. A situation that Christian Horner cannot accept. “He knows it’s untenable not to score points. We have to score points with this car and he knows it. He knows his role and his goal, so no one is more eager than Checo to get back into shape. »

Strong statements that will not fall on deaf ears, while rumors of a premature termination of contract have appeared in recent weeks, despite the extension announced in Canada. Especially since Red Bull has planned a test with Liam Lawson aboard the RB20 this week, at Silverstone, as part of a filming day. Remember that in 2023, Daniel Ricciardo had managed to find his place in Formula 1 following a test of the same nature…

ALSO READ > Sergio Pérez exhausted after another ordeal at Silverstone: “I need a break”