How Ricciardo and Verstappen are keeping Sergio Perez at Red Bull

For a year, Sergio Perez heard the same question asked every week: 'Was he afraid of losing his seat at Red Bull Racing?' Just two races into the 2024 season and the questions have calmed down. Thanks, partially, to Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda ánd Max Verstappen.

That spin in the closing stages of the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia could have been as well. Daniel Ricciardo was already driving a race to soon forget, far down the backstretch, and with a rookie mistake, the Australian completed his misery. As was not a top performance a week earlier, when he needed the help of his Visa Cash App RB to pass teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Thus, the eight-time race winner then finished 13th, instead of 14th.

For now, Ricciardo is not making a strong impression. Instead of leading the Italian team, it looks like the Daniel from his time with McLaren again: violently out of shape and simply too slow. Helmut Marko already hinted that Ricciardo will have to perform a lot better if he is to be considered for a renewed place at Red Bull Racing in 2025. Indeed, that is the ultimate goal for the now 34-year-old veteran.

Yuki Tsunoda is also not yet making an indelible impression this season. The Japanese driver stood out the most with his tirade during the Bahrain Grand Prix, the moment he was ordered to let Ricciardo pass him. Anyway, the Japanese driver has never been a big contender for a seat at the sister team, but with excellent performances Red Bull could not have ignored him. At the moment, there is surely no one seriously considering a promotion for Tsunoda.

Meanwhile, there is the uncertainty over Max Verstappen's future at Red Bull Racing. As GPblog reported yesterday, the Verstappen camp is still emphatically keeping open the option for the three-time world champion to find accommodation elsewhere after this season. In that case, Mercedes are the Dutchman's most logical new employer.

And Perez? Who is currently quietly doing his thing, exactly what is expected of him. The Mexican finished second twice - albeit at an appropriate distance from Verstappen - as Red Bull Racing demands of the Mexican. If the Mexican does manage to continue this line this year, there should be no reason for the Austrian team not to renew his expiring contract.

For Perez, it is no doubt pleasing to see that his intended rivals for the seat - Ricciardo and Tsunoda - are not making a convincing impression, at least not to the extent that a move to Red Bull makes sense. Moreover, Verstappen's uncertain future makes Perez's position much stronger. Red Bull must be looking forward to sidelining the Mexican (already), with the real possibility that the team will end up having to look for two drivers for 2025.

Of course, a lot of drivers enter the market after the current season, they are not of the calibre of Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris or Piastri. One - with deference - lesser god in a Red Bull is surely still manageable for the Austrians, but with two it becomes a lot harder to achieve the sky-high goals.

Perez is currently in a luxury position. Nobody expects him to beat Verstappen, neatly finishing second every time is more than enough. Given the form of the others and the uncertainty with Verstappen, that could just be enough for another year with the world constructors' champions. Fair enough: for Red Bull, there is currently not a smarter choice than the Mexican.