- Sergio Perez will drive for Red Bull for another two years
- Perez’s contract is two years shorter than that of his teammate Max Verstappen
- Perez has had mixed race results since joining Red Bull in 2021
Red Bull Racing announced on Tuesday that Sergio Perez’s contract will be extended for another two years.
It means that the Mexican driver will remain with the team until 2026 formula 1 is entering a new era of sustainable fuels and power sources with a much greater focus on electrification. It is also the year in which Audi enters the sport as a manufacturer and supplier of drive systems.
Perez’s teammate at Red Bull, Max Verstappenhas a contract that runs until 2028, although the three-time world champion has the option to end the contract early if he chooses to switch teams.
In contrast to Verstappen’s continued dominance in F1, Perez continues to deliver mixed performances. He has failed to win a race this season and continues to suffer frequent problems in qualifying, including at the most recent race in Monaco where he failed to make it through the first qualifying period.
Perez has been with Red Bull since the 2021 season and finished second in the Drivers’ Championship in 2023, which is his best result to date. If Red Bull ever decides to drop him, they have a number of options with Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo from feeder team RB. Liam Lawson, who came in for the injured Ricciardo for a few races at RB last season, is also a potential replacement. He is currently a reserve driver at Red Bull.
Rival team Alpine is still looking for a driver to replace Esteban Ocon, who will leave the team at the end of 2024. One possibility is current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. Ferrari has decided to replace it with the current one Mercedes Benz AMG Director Lewis Hamilton by 2025.
Mercedes has ruled out Sainz taking over Hamilton’s seat. If he does not return to Alpine, where he briefly drove when the team was still called Renault, he could end up at Sauber next season, which will become Audi in 2026, or possibly Williams.