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Perez’s future at the squad appears to hang by a thread following a string of disappointing results that prompted team boss Christian Horner to describe the situation as “unsustainable”.
While Red Bull Racing continues to lead the constructors’ championship, its advantage has been eroded in recent races.
F1 prize money is paid out based on teams’ position in the constructors’ championship at the end of the season, making it arguably the more important of the two titles.
Red Bull Racing’s advantage over the field last season was such that Perez’s contribution was less important than it is now.
With Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes all now realistic rivals on any given weekend, the Mexican’s contribution is therefore critical.
Though he inked a two-year deal in the lead up to the Canadian Grand Prix, it’s understood his position is not guaranteed.
There are performance clauses that, if not met, afford Red Bull the right to make a change before then.
It’s understood one of those is a requirement that he is within 100 points of Max Verstappen at the F1 summer break.
His deficit is currently 137 points having amassed just 15 in the last six races – Nico Hulkenberg has scored 16 in the last two for Haas.
That slump has heaped pressure on the 34-year-old to lift in the next two races to save his job.
Should he not, Daniel Ricciardo is favourite to replace him, though the Australian is coy on that notion.
“I would never make any predictions in this sport,” Ricciardo admitted when confronted with the prospect of replacing Perez.
“I feel like every year that this sport goes on, the more it gets… I know it kind of goes in the trend of the sport is getting bigger, it’s becoming more Hollywood, so to speak, in terms of the profile the sport has and also the narrative that runs with the sport now is certainly more Hollywood in terms of, it’s so unpredictable.
“So, do I have any proof that I’ll be anywhere else? I do not.
“Crazy things happen but I am certainly not in a place to say that or think that’ll predict that.”
Ricciardo has found his form in recent races after being overshadowed by Yuki Tsunoda in the opening part of the campaign.
He still trails his Japanese counterpart but has cut a more assured figure on track with results more in line with expectations.
He’s also become slightly more punchy in his comments, making it clear when his inability to perform is down to his own limitations or a result of others.
In Silverstone, he pointed the finger at RB, noting its poor execution in qualifying left him fighting an uphill struggle.
“Not to completely just point the finger, but I felt like there wasn’t much more I could do with the situation we put ourselves in,” he noted.
As far as options go to replace Perez, should the situation come to that, Red Bull Racing appears to have more option that it realistically does.
Strangely, Tsunoda has never been linked with the move despite his prowess on track.
The 24-year-old has matured this season alongside Ricciardo but clearly management has seen something it’s uncomfortable with from him, else he’d logically be the first name on the list.
Alternatively, it has Liam Lawson on its books, the 23-year-old desperate for a return to the grid.
However, dropping him alongside Verstappen at Red Bull Racing in the midst of a constructors’ championship battle and essentially charging him with winning it for the team is an enormous ask.
While Lawson displayed pace and composure behind the wheel during his five-race cameo last season, he remains a rookie and wholly unprepared for the white hot spotlight that comes with a seat in the premier team. While he might deliver, it would be exceptionally cavalier of Horner to give him the nod.
That leaves Ricciardo, an experienced driver familiar with the pressures that come with being at the front of the grid.
His performances have at times shown he’s still the driver who won seven times in Red Bull Racing machinery, and he’s certain that, given the opportunity, he’ll deliver. But there’s no certainty there, either.
And so the question Horner must now ponder with two races remaining before the summer break is who is the safer bet for Red Bull Racing; Sergio Perez, or Daniel Ricciardo?
