Marko confirms Perez is not sure of his seat at Red Bull Racing
F1 News
- Nicole Mulder
Things have not been going well for Sergio Perez since he signed a contract extension at Red Bull Racing. Several crashes and disappointing results meant that discussions about the Mexican have flared up again. Helmut Marko does not deny that there is a performance clause that would allow Red Bull to tear up Perez's contract after all.
Marko confirms Perez performance clause
Perez started the current Formula 1 season strongly, but since the Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen's teammate has been performing significantly less well. Besides winning both world titles, improving Perez's form is high on Red Bull's list of priorities. " We need to make sure Perez regains his normal form," Marko said speaking with OE24.
If that does not happen, Red Bull may yet struggle in the constructors' championship given the strong competition from McLaren in particular. Asked to explain Perez's disappointing performance, Marko replies, "With all the bad luck he has had, he is also mentally damaged."
According to speculation, there is a performance clause in Perez's contract which means that if the points difference between him and Verstappen before the summer break exceeds 100 points - which is currently the case - Red Bull can choose to send him away. Marko does not deny that clause exists.
"Almost all top drivers have performance clauses in their contracts," Marko said when asked about the clause in question. Does this mean it is not certain that Perez will still be driving for Red Bull in 2025 despite his contract? To this, the Red Bull adviser cryptically says: "What is certain in Formula 1?"
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy