D-Day for Perez: Deemed too weak or can he stay on?

What will happen today?
No one wanted to call it an ultimatum out loud. The fact is that external advisor Helmut Marko announced on behalf of Red Bull Racing prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix that Sergio Perez had until the summer break to convince the Austrians that he did belong in the car next to Max Verstappen. In Hungary, Perez then crashed in qualifying, and at Spa he dropped through the field from the second starting spot to the middle of the pack. He finished last out of the front runners. Team boss Christian Horner and Marko are meeting in England today to discuss whether Perez has sufficiently demonstrated that he deserves the seat at Red Bull.

What is expected to be the outcome of that conversation?
At Red Bull Racing, you never know. The outside world may have seen that Perez also failed to make a convincing impression at Budapest and Spa, but Red Bull may just have motives to keep the Mexican on. For instance, he brings in quite a lot of money with his sponsors, Red Bull sells a lot of cans in Mexico partly thanks to him, and his relationship with Max Verstappen is reportedly fine. On the other hand, Red Bull see their lead in the constructors' championship getting smaller by the week, as Perez hardly picks up any points. Looking purely at the sporting picture, Perez has been found too weak.

And then what?
Well, that makes the choice of whether or not to break with Perez all the more complicated. After all, there is no adequate replacement available. Daniel Ricciardo is eager to return to Red Bull Racing, but in recent years has not been a shadow of the Danny Ric from his first spell with the Austrians. Given his form, is he the man to act as Verstappen's reliable second? There are doubts about that.

There is also Liam Lawson; a New Zealander who drove five Grand Prix as a substitute in 2023 on behalf of - then - AlphaTauri. A super talent? No, otherwise Red Bull would have given him a permanent seat in Formula 1 earlier? A risk? Yes, it is. Because can Lawson possibly handle the pressure of standing up next to Verstappen in a car that is not the easiest to drive? And is this the man who would take more points than Perez?

But surely Red Bull Racing has Yuki Tsunoda too?
Sure. But it is no secret that Christian Horner does not like the Japanese driver at all. Tsunoda himself said at Spa that he has not exchanged a word with Horner and Marko for ages. It is highly unlikely, to say the least, that he will then be the designated man that Red Bull puts forward as Perez's successor - provided, of course, that Perez is sent off.

So an exciting day for Perez!
Absolutely. His future in Formula 1 depends on this. If he is sent away, despite an ongoing contract, it will be very difficult to find a seat elsewhere for '25 and beyond. Audi could be an option in that case, but for now there are no signs that the Germans have him on their wish list. In any case: Perez will be sitting next to his phone today.