Sergio Perez, Red Bull, Baku City Circuit, 2021

Red Bull extend Perez’s contract into 2022

2021 F1 season

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Sergio Perez has re-signed for Red Bull and will continued to race for the team in 2022.

Having joined the team from Racing Point at the end of last season Perez now lies fifth in the drivers’ championship. He will continue to race alongside Max Verstappen next year.

“His integration into the wider team has been seamless and we have been impressed by his performances during the first half of the season which demonstrate what he’s capable of in our car,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

“Next year we move into a new era of Formula 1 with completely revised regulations and cars, and with over 200 races and a decade of experience under his belt, Checo will play an integral role in helping the team navigate this transition and maximise the RB18.”

Perez scored the second victory of his career for the team in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June. By doing so Perez became the first driver other than Verstappen to win a race for Red Bull since Daniel Ricciardo’s departure from the team in 2018.

At the following race Perez took his second podium finish as a Red Bull driver at the French Grand Prix, which Verstappen won.

Analysis: F1 team mate battles at mid-season – Verstappen vs Perez
Perez said he was pleased with the progress he has made since joining Red Bull.

“It always takes time to get on top of everything when you join a new team but things have worked well this season and I really enjoy being a part of the Red Bull family. We’ve been working hard to deliver results so it’s great to see the team have faith in me for the future.

“We have so much more to achieve together and we still have a great challenge on our hands this season so I really hope we can finish the year on a high and carry that momentum into 2022.”

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Hazel Southwell
Hazel is a motorsport and automotive journalist with a particular interest in hybrid systems, electrification, batteries and new fuel technologies....

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21 comments on “Red Bull extend Perez’s contract into 2022”

  1. Good thing now he can focus on driving…

    1. Yeah, they really do need him to do that @macleod!

  2. What I always expected, so unsurprising. Probably followed quite soon by Gasly-Tsunoda continuation at AT.

  3. I would have thought they’d wait for Mercedes to decide their lineup, to see if they could potentially steal Russell if he’s not chosen.

    But as a Checo fan, no complaints here!

    1. They probably did ;-)

  4. That was a no brainer really.

  5. He’s done alright, enough to give him another year. His qualifying is still quite poor but his race pace has been decent enough, close but not too close to Verstappen and he’s been around enough to give Mercedes trouble. If he can sort out the single lap pace he’ll be every bit the 2nd car Red Bull wanted.

    1. Davethechicken
      27th August 2021, 16:15

      “If he can sort out the single lap pace he’ll be every bit the 2nd car Red Bull wanted.”
      Yeah, he is in the twilight of his career, in F1 terms now. Usually single lap pace falls off rather than improves at this stage, so I won’t hold my breath.

    2. Coventry Climax
      27th August 2021, 16:20

      He’ll also have to sort out the wiring between the ears, to my opinion. Too often, he does not know when to keep cool and take a loss, which is likely temporary anyway as it’s usually early in the race. That results in damage, places lost and at best in him having to do a catch up race again. Very unneccessary.

  6. So finally Red Bull have made one good decision this year ;)

  7. Smart move.

  8. Hard on Gasly but it was to be expected. I hope they don’t hold Pierre too long in AT before he does a Sainz and moves elsewhere… The kid’s got potential, and Red Bull can’t afford to leave a GP winner behind just like that

    1. I don’t think being a gp winner means much, cause it’s so rare to get the opportunity that not everyone gets the chance. In my opinion it’d matter more for gasly to be a gp winner while in red bull, which was expected of him, than after the demotion.

  9. I’m aghast! A sound decision by Dr Marko.

  10. 2022 could be the only year Checo will have in all his career to win the drivers championship.

  11. Mistake. They should have tried to grab Bottas.

    1. Coventry Climax
      27th August 2021, 16:21

      Yeah, at least he can then be pursuaded to take out a mercedes or two.

      1. Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
        27th August 2021, 19:50

        Bottas shouldn’t be relied upon to take other drivers out of a race. He’s done that once in Hungary last time out, and at no other point in his entire f1 career has he been responsible for anyone else’s retirement. He’s usually very clean.

    2. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
      27th August 2021, 19:00

      @balue actually, that would have been interesting to watch unfold. I still doubt any driver can better Max in that car unless the car suits their style.

  12. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
    27th August 2021, 19:03

    Tough one – part of me says yes, Checo deserves a full season and a half without the pressure of a contract. The other part says that he hasn’t really earned a spot and it might not make a difference.

    However, things may change next year and Checo may be on a level playing field with Max, or even end up with the upper hand as Ricciardo did when he joined Red Bull.

    1. Perez getting the upper hand on verstappen? Ricciardo was “stronger” early on cause verstappen lacked experience, I don’t see how you can expect perez to become better than verstappen, since he is the older one.

      Too early promotion imo, he didn’t convince me, but also not a no brainer yet to replace him.

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