Christian Horner observes a high level of interest in Red Bull’s position in the market. Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and Christian Horner (Via IMAGO) The Team Principal of Red Bull states that the team is still the top choice for the 2025 seat, but also confirmed that another 16 drivers from the current grid have shown interest in replacing him. Perez’s current contract with Red Bull is set to expire at the end of the 2024 season, and the Austrian team is open to hiring a new driver, if necessary.
Verstappen’s dominant performance in Formula 1 has put immense pressure on Sergio Perez, as the pace difference is too significant for him to overcome. Although Perez has shown improvement compared to last year by securing second place in the first two races of the season, the gap to Verstappen was too big for Red Bull to ignore. Therefore, Christian Horner reminded Perez that, despite being in the spotlight, another 16 drivers are interested in replacing him.
Sergio Perez clarified that the standards at Red Bull are different from any other team, which is why previous drivers have not been able to stay with the team. In recent years, several drivers have emerged within Red Bull before Perez joined, such as [names of drivers]. Due to their poor performance, these drivers either left Red Bull or were released from their contracts. Perez became the first non-Red Bull driver to join the team since [name of driver] in 2007 when he signed in 2021. Perez is entering his fourth season with Red Bull and hopes to stay with the team for at least a few more years.
Perez has started to deliver exceptional performances this season by supporting his teammate Max Verstappen, resulting in a 1-2 for Red Bull. The team reportedly wants to find a strong teammate for Verstappen who can challenge him with the same machine. Even if Perez loses his seat, his experience and expertise could provide him an opportunity at one of the other nine teams for at least one more season.
