Perez has had his future drawn into question following the axing of Daniel Ricciardo at RB following the Singapore Grand Prix.
Ricciardo was dropped in favour of Liam Lawson, the New Zealander set to complete the season with RB.
While not overtly stated in the confirmation announcement, which mentioned over the coming six races with RB, Lawson has a Red Bull Racing race contract for 2025.
However, that in itself is not unique as all drivers, be they at Red Bull Racing or RB, hold contracts with the senior team with Yuki Tsunoda and (now) Lawson effectively loaned out.
That Lawson’s 2025 plans were not overtly stated suggests a degree of flexibility in the thinking at Milton Keynes, with suggestions the 22-year-old is being eyed as a replacement for Perez at Red Bull Racing next season.
That was further fuelled by suggestions in the media that the Mexican could announce his retirement at his home event next month.
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The logic went that, rather than incur another PR nightmare as it did with Ricciardo’s exit, Red Bull Racing would allow Perez to be seen to make the call himself.
In response, the 34-year-old has taken to social media with a post that appears to address the matter.
Sorry 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/rPIHpYDVGH
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) September 29, 2024
Perez is under pressure from Lawson, a driver who has strong backing from Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.
It’s thought his mid-season promotion now comes with a view to assessing him for a potential promotion alongside Max Verstappen next season.
Such a move would see Perez on the outer, with Isack Hadjar tipped to fill the vacancy at RB left by Lawson.
However, that depends on the New Zealander’s performances over the coming races.
A two-event spell—one of which comes with a grid penalty for a power unit change—seems insufficient to make such a call, raising questions over the Mexico City Grand Prix timeline that has been claimed.
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