Bad excuse only makes Perez's new contract more credible

New contract at Red Bull

At the end of this season Perez's contract at Red Bull Racing expires, but it's no secret that the two parties are eager to continue with each other. Perez finally has a team with which he can win races and maybe even a title, where Red Bull has finally found a teammate for Max Verstappen who can stay close to the Dutchman.

Prior to the Monaco Grand Prix, Perez and Red Bull were clearly still holding off on striking a deal. It was still early in the season and a new contract would probably not be signed so soon. After the victory in Monaco, things appeared to be slightly different, because Perez clearly said to Christian Horner: ''I signed too early.''

Perez's excuse

The logical link to this is, of course, a new contract at Red Bull. With a win, his negotiating position would have been even better and so Perez's comment is then understandable. However, Red Bull has not yet made anything public and Perez was visibly shocked at Viaplay that this remark had been audible.

At the press conference he has an explanation for it. ''I was talking about the bottle of champagne (that I had signed?). We'll see,'' is how Perez's poor excuse sounded. ''I think what you did today will help (in the contract negotiations). Just a little bit,'' Verstappen joked, after which Perez replied: ''I hope so.''