Perez had a forgettable race at Spa in Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko criticized Perez’s “total collapse” in the race, sparking speculation about his future with the team. Perez faced pressure to perform after a disappointing run of only 21 points in seven races. Despite starting on the front row, Perez struggled and finished in eighth place. He even fell behind his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, who had a grid penalty. Perez was later promoted to seventh place due to a disqualification, but Marko expressed his dissatisfaction with the race. They plan to discuss the team’s driver lineup for the next season, and McLaren’s strong performance in the Constructors’ Championship could lead to Perez being replaced immediately. Marko stated that every result is important for Perez, and finishing eighth from second on the grid was not what they expected.
Perez attributed his sudden decline to being an easy target with compromised top speed and a strategic path that placed him on older tires compared to his competitors.
“It was a highly disappointing race,” Perez expressed. “It started off well, but I faced significant challenges on the straight sections.
“I’m not sure what was happening, but I had to conserve battery power early on in the first few laps, and I struggled greatly on the straightaways. Once I managed to overcome that, I tried to catch up with the pack.
“I was able to stay in the mix, but during the second stint, when I switched to the medium tires with a lot of traffic behind me, it became extremely difficult. Very tricky.
“We also had a relatively short stint, so our timing was off. Our performance with the tires was simply not up to par today. The balance of the car was also lacking, so there are many aspects for us to analyze internally.”
Perez, who has been firm in his belief that Belgium would not be his final race with Red Bull, has now declared that he will not engage in discussions regarding his future with the team.
“On Saturday, I had a successful qualifying session, a good day,” he added. “However, it doesn’t change anything.
“We have a lot of internal matters to address within the team and numerous areas that require our focus. We cannot afford to waste any energy on speculations.
“This will be the last time I address the topic of my future, so let me make it clear to everyone that I will not discuss it any further. I will not respond to any more inquiries regarding my future.”
