Why Red Bull have no need to axe Sergio Perez as future rumours swirl

Sam Cooper
Red Bull's Sergio Perez at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Red Bull have been advised there are plenty of reasons to keep hold of Sergio Perez even if he is unable to challenge Max Verstappen.

The 2024 Red Bull seat is one of the much-discussed topics in Formula 1 as although Perez is contracted for that season, Daniel Ricciardo’s return sparked rumours the Milton Keynes outfit may be looking at alternatives.

But even if Perez is never going to be in the same bracket as Verstappen, Red Bull have been advised he comes with other advantages.

Performance and marketability key to Sergio Perez Red Bull stay

Although Perez’s run of poor form seems to be over for now, it has been a long time since he stood on the top step of the podium.

Meanwhile, Verstappen has taken a vice-like grip on the championship making a third successive title seem almost an inevitability.

But while fans may be growing frustrated with Perez’s inability to challenge the Dutchman, Red Bull may see it as an advantage.

与墨西哥comfortably in P2, Christian Horner’s team have been told there are plenty of advantages to hanging on to Perez.

“Helmut Marko made a good point,” Le Mans class winner Richard Bradley said on the On Track GP podcast. “He’s still running second in the championship. He seems to get on okay with Max.”

Bradley went on to suggest that another reason for keeping Perez is the boost in marketing it gives the team in the Americas. In the same way Verstappen has reignited Dutch passion for the sport, Perez has had a similar effect in Mexico.

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“I saw some crazy stat the other day that Red Bull’s most powerful market at the minute is Central America and South America and you wonder why that is?” Bradley said.

Horner has made it clear they have no intentions of dropping Perez at least until his deal comes to an end and that is an opinion Bradley shares, suggesting Formula 1 will have a situation where it does not have enough seats.

“I don’t see any reason to change at the minute but it seems like with the influx of drivers who want to come into Formula 1 next year, it does seem like we’re going to have a situation where there’s not enough seats on the grid.”

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