Red Bull’s decision to extend Sergio Perez’s contract for two more years means their current line-up will become the longest in the team’s history.
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were team mates at Red Bull for five years from 2009 until the latter’s retirement at the end of 2013. But Perez’s new two-year deal will keep him at the team until the end of 2026, his sixth season alongside Max Verstappen.(Assuming, of course, Perez’s “two year” extension is exactly what Red Bull say it is. After all, in September last year Mercedes announced Lewis Hamilton “will drive for the team in the 2024 and 2025 seasons,” overlooking a clause which allowed him to become a Ferrari driver next year.)
On the face of it, there are obvious reasons why Red Bull would make this call. Though the competition have closed on them, Red Bull are nonetheless enjoying their second period as F1’s leading team, and there is little to gain and too much to lose by tampering with a winning formula in their driver line-up.
The key word here is “formula” as only one half of it is doing the “winning”. In much the same way, in Perez’s 150-word statement on his new deal the most significant term is “challenge”, which he used to describe driving for the team no fewer than three times.
Unrepresentative comparisons omitted. Negative value: Perez was faster; Positive value: Verstappen was faster
Small wonder, as Perez has secured his contract extension despite not having won a race in the past 12 months. This is also true of most drivers in F1, but none of them have a team mate who has won 20 races over the same period of time with the same car.
There are strong similarities between Red Bull’s current driver line-up and that during its last period of dominance. It has a product of its young driver programme racking up race victories and championships, paired with a more experience racer from outside the Red Bull ecosystem filling a clear ‘number two’ role.
The Vettel-Webber pairing became fraught at times, notably when they collided at Istanbul Park in 2010 or during the infamous ‘Multi 21’ episode at Sepang three years later. Relations have generally been less strained between Verstappen and Perez, besides a quarrel over an exchange of positions in Brazil in 2022 and murmurs the reigning champion had suspicions over his team mate’s tactics during qualifying in Monaco that year.
Late last year Christian Horner claimed he had an approach from Hamilton to join his team. While the world champion denied it, the possibility Red Bull might form a powerhouse line-up with two champions always seemed unlikely.
Less than 12 months ago Horner indicated his reluctance to consider hiring a pair of champions, such as McLaren’s famed line-up of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1998. “They got pretty sparky between the two of them,” he said. “And two alphas is always a difficult one to manage.”
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Hamilton ended up joining Ferrari, who were happy to place him alongside the highly-rated Charles Leclerc, who quickly saw Vettel off after joining the team.
There were rumours Carlos Sainz Jnr, a free agent since being dropped by Ferrari to make way for Hamilton, could take Perez’s place. But that never seemed realistic given Red Bull already let Sainz go once before and the team’s motorsport consultant Helmut Marko described the combination of the two drivers in their Toro Rosso (now RB) days as “toxic”.
After a 2023 campaign which peaked with two early wins then plunged to some desperately low depths, Perez raised his game late in the year and carried it into the start of this season. At his best he is consistently a few tenths shy of Verstappen, but Horner will be hoping the wobble in Perez’s results over the last two races is not the shape of things to come. “The past few races have been tough, there is convergence on the grid, but we are confident in Checo and look forward to his return to proven form and performance, that we so often see,” he said in the team’s announcement today.
Persisting with its ‘alpha and beta’ driver line-up is surely calculated to keep Verstappen happy, and may offer the best chances of securing him another drivers’ title. Red Bull introduced Perez as the ‘Mexican Minister of Defence’ at their launch this year which says everything about what’s expected of him.
But it could leave them vulnerable in the constructors’ championship. Ferrari have chipped into Red Bull’s championship lead in recent races and the two teams are separated by just 24 points at the top of the standings.
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Todfod (@todfod)
4th June 2024, 18:20
Now I’ll be hoping for Ferrari to beat them in the WCC this year. I could easily see Leclerc, Sainz, Norris and Piastri finishing in front of Sergio this season.
Red bull management are bunch of cowards, and the decision to put an inferior driver in that 2nd seat will definitely come back to bite them.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th June 2024, 22:22
Hoping so too.
Mr B
5th June 2024, 7:09
We don’t actually know who else was available to Red Bull, everyone is assuming that Sainz was available and I would agree that as a driver he is better than Perez.
Perhaps some drivers don’t want to go up against Verstappen in that team, who knows?
However, it is also very clear that some teams prefer harmony within the team rather than having to continually manage battling drivers. Whether this is the best strategy or not only time will tell.
anon
5th June 2024, 7:38
Mr B, half of the drivers on the grid are currently out of contract at the end of this year, so there are a lot of drivers looking for a seat right now.
As for Sainz, all the reports so far are that it was Red Bull that chose not to approach Sainz with a serious offer because of Marko’s previously voiced opposition to letting him race alongside Verstappen.
Mr B
5th June 2024, 7:53
There is supposedly a large number of drivers out of contract this year but most of them are not a better option than Perez.
We don’t know what the facts are surrounding Sainz,
If Honda were still involved with Red Bull then I would have liked to see Tsunoda given a go.
Red Bull have created everything they have not by being cowards but through hard work and skill. For whatever reason they obviously have a value attached to driver harmony at this time.
We’ll have two alphas at Ferrari next year and a clear number 1 and number 2 at Red Bull, let’s see what happens!
anon
5th June 2024, 9:52
Mr B, it is not a case of “supposedly a large number of drivers out of contract this year” – it is a proven fact that, before this season began, the majority of the field were out of contract. Piastri, for example, started the year with a contract that expired at the end of this season, as did both Alpine drivers, both Haas drivers, both Williams drivers and so on – only a handful of drivers actually had a contract that ran beyond 2024 (which was a reason why McLaren wanted to get their drivers contracts extended at the start of this season).
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
5th June 2024, 8:49
I’m pretty sure Jos Verstappen & Sainz Snr. didn’t get along when they were at STR, with both being passionate about their respective son’s status in the team, and we know Marko is firmly in the Verstappen camp, so it was definitely never going to happen.
Mr B
5th June 2024, 11:28
Anon, I used the word supposedly because we don’t know the current state of play.
We knew that a lot of contracts were due to expire this year but we don’t know who has committed, re-signed, agreed to re-sign, planning on retiring etc. we only know what we have or haven’t been told.
Most of us thought that Hamilton was going to be at Mercedes for another 2 years, turns out not to be so.
I haven’t read anywhere what the length of Hamilton’s contract is with Ferrari.
I can understand the resigning of Perez, I find the two year contract a little harder to understand.
It may be because, as I noted earlier, that Red Bull feel the need for some driver harmony right now or it might be because there were no particularly better options available or it may have been a demand of Verstappen.
Verstappen knows he is what makes the difference in that car and he knows that Red Bull know that.
The only thing I do know is that we really don’t know much of what the options are and the thinking of the teams and that they will never honestly tell us.
Mayrton
5th June 2024, 9:00
I agree here from personal perspective. From RedBull perspective I understand you do not want a Hamilton/Rosberg, Hamilton/Alonso kind of situation since it puts tension on everything. Although Perez is just too poor of a driver to secure the WCC and therefore a huge liability, RedBull is all about Marketing and the WDC is all you need for Marketing purposes. They do not sell road cars. For the spectator it is a cowardish move, from their business perspective it does make sense unfortunately.
Drg
5th June 2024, 15:12
Absolutely- regardless of what we think, as a team, it is the sensible decision.
As not particularly F1 reduced to a one person no competition event.
Not so much.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
5th June 2024, 9:19
Couldn’t agree more !
David BR
6th June 2024, 10:45
@todfod I think this contract renewal serves one purpose: keeping Max Verstappen happy and so keeping him at the team. Is that cowardice? I’m not sure it’s the right word. Certainly it’s terrible for anyone wanting to see Verstappen face more of a challenge. But the fact is that although they’ll all say they’re happy and confident to compete against any team mate, all the top drivers prefer a clear air between them and their team mate’s median level. Hamilton, say, was clearly less than excited about Bottas being swapped by Russell. Red Bull know that and as long as they think the constructors title is safe, they’ll be fine. Is it? I don’t know actually. Perez’s performance has dipped again, just like last year, and like you point out, the other teams are closer and their drivers all much better than SP. I think it’s slightly risky but deemed worth it to (try to) keep Max.
Edvaldo
4th June 2024, 18:32
It would be so great if Max suddenly leaves them for another team lol.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th June 2024, 22:22
Exactly, that would be payback to red bull! Result = stuck with 2 subpar drivers!
Mayrton
5th June 2024, 9:04
Good point. Come to think of it.. maybe it is time for some evaluation of all the media screaming Horner was guilty and out the door, Max signed somewhere else and all that other made up stuff just for the sake of clicks, viewers, volume.
MichaelN
4th June 2024, 19:01
Verstappen ranks 1st in average qualifying position in 2024 and 1st in the races. Pérez ranks 6th and 4th respectively.
In 2023 it was 1st/8th and 1st/2nd.
In 2022 it was 1st/4th and 1st/4th.
In 2021 it was 1st/4th and 1st/6th.
That’s not ‘beta’, that’s way down the alphabet considering the cars Red Bull has had, after 2021 in particular.
With Leclerc/Hamilton, Norris/Piastri and Russel/…? Red Bull is probably going to line up the worst line-up among the top teams next year, even with Verstappen there. All because their team principal can’t manage two (!) drivers… how silly.
Jonathan Parkin
4th June 2024, 20:21
Well to be fair neither could Ron Dennis if you recall. However Alonso could still have won the WDC that year despite receiving no help, if he hadn’t crashed at Fuji
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
5th June 2024, 8:50
Similarly could the inexperienced Hamilton if McLaren hadn’t botched his strategy in China! The team made so many unforced errors that year…
MichaelN
5th June 2024, 9:24
That’s a bit unfair on Dennis, who put together some excellent driver combinations over his long career. Horner never has.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
5th June 2024, 9:43
MichaelN,
I believe they will start feeling the impact this year. Remember, RBR already has less wind tunnel time compared to their rivals. Additionally, the $3 million cost of Perez’s crash in Monaco will be deducted from this year’s development budget, which is estimated to be around $15-20 million.
AMuS reported that the RBR suspension trick, that we’ve been discussing here since 2022, has finally been replicated by Mercedes and Ferrari, with Ferrari rumored to have even perfected the system. In Monaco, it was evident that Ferrari was the better car on terms of riding the curbs and out of the slow corners. Ferrari are also set to bring a heavily upgraded car to Silverstone. Even with their current car, I can see Leclerc and Sainz finishing ahead of Perez in most races.
Nick T.
9th June 2024, 1:46
The data doesn’t lie (usually).
mars
4th June 2024, 19:10
While the team is struggling with unrest, the person dictated by Max’s camp extends his slave contract in order not to escalate the problems. All in all, this is an embarrassment for Perez. He has no respect for himself. He accepted an embarrassing task as a rear gunner for two more seasons with vehicles designed entirely with Max’s priorities in mind.
José Lopes da Silva
4th June 2024, 19:30
Surely Jos Verstappen inserted a chip in Perez’ brain
harold wilson
5th June 2024, 1:41
I must be living on another planet having read your comment. Seriously, you are driving the best car on the grid for most tracks on the calender. What is there not to like for Perez at Red Bull? He is not as good as Max he and Red Bull know that. His job is to be close as he can the Max on a good day or get the best of the car on a bad day. That’s what all no 2 drivers are there for.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
5th June 2024, 8:51
But is he even managing to achieve that?
Mayrton
5th June 2024, 9:07
I rather see it as he is either not in F1 at all, or he races in a car that can get him a race win on a lucky day. Easy choice. Let’s not forget that only Ricciardo’s sudden move extended Perez’ time in F1. Otherwise he would have been retired a long long time ago.
Neil (@neilosjames)
4th June 2024, 20:21
While it won’t keep a lot of fans happy, it does keep everyone who matters to Red Bull happy.
Verstappen’s happy, as are his entourage (including Jos). A content Verstappen means more chance of him staying, and therefore more chance of the team winning, so the people designing and building the cars are happy. Horner’s happy, as no doubt are his allies in the team. Perez is happy, and he seems a pleasant guy so I imagine the staff who work with him are happy too.
The only sad people are on the outside looking in, and who cares about them?
miciek (@micio)
4th June 2024, 20:56
You are right! @neilosjames
One small correction is that not all outsiders are sad. Ferrari and McLaren are definitely very happy, too. Signing Perez gives them a real shot at winning the world championship sooner than 2026!
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th June 2024, 22:26
Oh, yes, that’s for sure, they’re probably rubbing their hands atm!
Tomcat173 (@tomcat173)
5th June 2024, 6:51
You wonder to what extent this move also plays towards Horner retaining his authority and influence in RBR. Resigning Perez does keep alot of parties happy as you mentioned, but its also another tick in Horner’s column, ensuring that he has another key party in the team that’s allied to him.
All of the negative press about his inappropriate messaging seems to have blown over now, and resigning Perez is certainly his prerogative as Team Principal (did he have to get Marko’s signoff??). The only scenario where this doesn’t work out for Horner is if Perez can’t stay close to Max on pace in the future.
Retired (@jeff1s)
4th June 2024, 21:21
Ford is that good ?
bull mello (@bullmello)
5th June 2024, 0:25
I am speculating, but not as good the Honda/RB.
PlosslF1
4th June 2024, 23:44
“Red Bull introduced Perez as the ‘Mexican Minister of Defence’ at their launch this year ”
I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror before a race if I was a Racing Driver tagged with that ‘Know your place’ attitude from the team..
Mayrton
5th June 2024, 9:12
I understand what you are saying, but Perez has no place in F1 since the end of 2018. Ricciardo’s move to Renault is the only reason he is still around. He had no seat and no one was going to offer him a seat for 2019. He would be long forgotten by now. So, looking at it from that perspective he can at least say he is still a F1 driver.
Tristan
5th June 2024, 6:09
All this highlights is how little worth the constructors championship is. There is no reason at all to keep him if they want to guarantee winning that.
Mayrton
5th June 2024, 9:15
Exactly. People only remember racing drivers winning the championship. There is little value in the WCC other than if you are a road car manufacturer (one of the reasons I would like to see them leave F1 and get back to the purest form of chassis builders competing and the engine being just a part that needs to fit in the car). RedBull has no interest in the WCC and frankly why would they? You market your champion covered in your logo.
MacLeod (@macleod)
5th June 2024, 7:57
So Perez was three times faster in all those years then Max. Perez is really a bad qualifier with those stats….
I had hoped for a other driver to push Max luckly McLaren and Ferrari are there to keep him buzzy.
BasCB (@bascb)
5th June 2024, 7:59
Interesting vibe – just about everybody is at best meh, and most are harshly negative over Perez. Who do you think RB should put in that car to do a better job?
Sainz, whose relationship with Max at STR turned so toxic it played a huge role in breaking up their being together? Sure, he’s fast and he’s a good racer, but that is also a downside – he would not want to settle for being behind Max, and that would mean Max will push the car to it’s limits more often, risking more to be faster. I doubt RB is interested in such a teaming.
Ricciardo hasn’t shown any sign he’d be any better than Perez so far, Tsunoda is solid, but is he a star? And do RB even want a temperamental star?
Coventry Climax
5th June 2024, 11:46
I do have to point out an ‘anomaly’ in your reasoning of “Tsunoda is solid, but is he a star?”
So, the same quality that some may have, but disqualifies them for RBR because of it, namely being a ‘star’ (whatever the definition) is, also disqualifies Tsunoda, but this time because he lacks that quality? That’s weird reasoning, to say the least. Stars that aren’t stars -or the other way round- simply do not exist – not even in the galaxy.
If RBR do not want to have two Alpha’s, I can understand that, and I can see it would make sense for them to couple a Beta, or even an Epsilon or Delta (the ‘C’ seems to not be there in greek) to their Alpha.
Instead, they’ve now signed a two (!) year deal with a driver that’s by all evidence, in the ‘Omega’ to ‘Zeta’ region.
Clearly there’s drivers available that have proven to be better than that, or drivers that show promise and would jump to the opportunity to prove it, readily accepting a situation where it’s clear Vestappen is the No. 1 within the team.
Arguably, or at least possibly, Tsunoda or even Lawson are better than Perez. But whoever they had chosen, he/she wouldn’t have to win races whenever Max is still there, they’d just have to be as close to Max as possible. Perez has a proven track record that he hardly ever – or more precise; only rarely – is, despite his yearly mantra of being better than ever before (like the Bottas 3.0 fairytale).
In a sense, the Monaco crash is a 100% Perez’ fault too, as he should never even have been that low on the grid to find himself battling within the last five car group at all.
This is a decision by RBR that I personally can not make sense of, but I’m sure they themselves think they’ve done the right thing.
Still, two years? That absolutely baffles me.
PlosslF1
5th June 2024, 12:08
(the ‘C’ seems to not be there in greek) .
After reading this I just had to have a dig and there is no “c” in the Greek alphabet. The “c” sounds in “cat” is written using the Greek letter kappa, which looks like a K. The letter c was an invention of the Romans.
Learn something new every day :-)
Coventry Climax
5th June 2024, 15:42
Romans – italians these days- did a stupid job too, inventing the ‘c’. There’s no language where that letter kan not be replaced by a ‘k’, like I just did. You don’t even need it in Tjoklat.
Does it look pretty? No, not by kurrent standards, but had the letter never been there in the first playse, we wouldn’t have known the differense.
Coventry Climax
5th June 2024, 19:53
oops, missed ‘replaysed’ ;-)
Stevan Vasiljević
7th June 2024, 6:42
This is getting quite off topic, but this is the origin of letters K and C: Romans did use C to mark a sound like modern K. Romans, however, used letter K to represent a sound in words they borrowed from Greek, and that, at the time, was aspirated KKKH sound. So, while using C and K might seem superfluous today, in ancient times they indeed represented different sounds
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
5th June 2024, 8:12
Pathetic! Shows a complete lack of ambition.
I hope McLaren/Ferrari (or whoever) wipe the floor with them over the next few seasons.
Janith
5th June 2024, 8:36
Let’s stop talking about merit and performance in F1 when Sergio Perez has been driving like rubbish for 4 years and still retains his seat in the best car in F1.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
5th June 2024, 10:09
I’m so disappointed.
There’s at least 2 quicker drivers currently looking for a seat.
Who cares if Sainz or Ocon bring a certain amount of toxicity – it’s been done quite successfully before, even by RBR. What it brings is some competitive intro team battles and a bit of excitement for fans.
Not happy, but then a post Newey RBR might not be the place anyone wants to be.
Personally I’d love to see Ocon in the seat. He’s quick and uncompromising, much like the current WDC.
Cris
5th June 2024, 11:55
Why would anyone want a better driver in that RedBull? I get why we wanted one until now: to challenge Max, because nobody else could.
But now McLaren and Ferrari have closed the gap, and Perez will be consistently beat by both of their drivers.
So it will be Max vs 2 McLarens and 2 Ferraris. Why would we want someone to get in the way of that? Perez will be busy fighting the Mercs for 6th. And losing half the time.
Electroball76
5th June 2024, 12:26
I expect at this point that Max doesn’t want to win with Perez right behind him. He’d rather win with Ferrari and Mercedes behind him. More satisfying that way. And, hey, if Checo does well then good for him.
Janith
6th June 2024, 11:12
At this point Max probably cares about the other 19 drivers than where Perez is.