Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. HOME News Politics Royal Showbiz & TV Sport Comment Finance Travel Life & Style Football Tennis F1 Boxing UFC Cricket Rugby Golf Racing NFL NBA Other Red Bull have confirmed there will be no mid-season changes to their driver line-up. 19: 19, Fri, Aug 2, 2024 | UPDATED: 19: 19, Fri, Aug 2, 2024
Helmut Marko and Christian Horner. (Image: Getty)
Red Bull reportedly handed Sergio Perez assurances over his short-term future to stop speculation mounting over the summer break. Formula One teams have begun a four-week recess period in the schedule, with the next Grand Prix weekend in the Netherlands from August 23-25.
Team advisor Helmut Marko had previously stated that during the break that the team would weigh up any necessary decisions on their line-up.
And the position of Perez initially looked precarious, having fallen from second to seventh in the drivers’ standings after taking just 15 points in six F1 race weekends.
His alarming run of form was compounded during Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, where he appeared in with a chance of victory after qualifying second on the gris. However, the Mexican driver failed to challenge and eventually crossed the line in eighth, and cut a frustrated figure afterwards.
But in the immediate aftermath of Spa-Francorchamps, Horner quickly confirmed there would be no mid-season changes to his driver pairing. He also quashed rumours of a shake-up of the VCARB dup, confirming Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo would remain in place for the rest of 2024.
According to Planet F1, Horner opted to make a quick decision and clarify matters in order to prevent scrutiny on Red Bull in the coming weeks. The team principal was also wary of causing unrest among drivers as they waited on a decision.
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Sergio Perez is on a poor run of form. (Image: Getty)
The team are also likely to welcome some form of stability after a shock departure this week. Long-serving sporting director Jonathan Wheatley confirmed he will end an 18-year stay to become team principal at the new Audi team.
At the start of the campaign, speculation was rife that Perez would be released when his current deal expired at the end of the year. However, in June he signed a new two-year contract extension that seemingly tied him to the constructors’ champions until the end of 2026.
After putting pen to paper, the 34-year-old said: “It’s really nice to get this distraction for the team and for myself out of the way so that we can focus on pure performance. And I think that’s the best thing for our team.”
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His struggles since though, have raised the prospect of Horner and co opting to release him from his deal prematurely. Although options over a replacement are dwindling after Carlos Sainz Jnr confirmed he would be at Williams in 2025.
Lando Norris meanwhile, has already committed his long-term future to McLaren. It leaves reserve driver Liam Lawson as the main candidate to race alongside Verstappen should Red Bill decide to dispose of Perez.
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