Sergio Perez has suggested he will have to start looking at “alternatives” if he feels he is unable to contribute at Red Bull going forward.

Perez’s contract with the team does not expire until the end of next season yet the Mexican driver has indicated that living in the shadow of team-mate Max Verstappen is starting to take its toll.

After winning two of the opening four grands prix in a car to his liking, Perez has not been the same driver since he was beaten by Verstappen in Miami despite starting from pole compared to the Dutchman’s ninth on the grid.

Verstappen also discovered set-up changes with the RB19 during the previous race in Azerbaijan, and in tandem with updates at the Spanish GP that further played into the hands of the two-time champion, Perez has struggled to make inroads.

“These are hard moments because it is not easy to be in this environment under all this pressure,” said Perez, speaking to the Spanish-language edition of DAZN.

“Being Max’s team-mate is not easy, but it is important to remember to enjoy the journey, enjoy the moments. I can give my best and that’s all I can control, and that’s what I’m doing.

“Max is driving at a level that I haven’t seen in F1 since I’ve been here. He doesn’t make mistakes, and he really pushes the limit all the time.

“So that’s the main difference. He’s been able to maintain his level all the time and I have not been able to, and as the car has evolved, it has cost me more.

“When the improvements have come, I have had to think too much while I was driving, and when you’re doing that it’s not as easy as when you’re on automatic with your car. It’s been a lot of work for me in the last races.”

Looking ahead to the future, Perez added: “With the season we’ve had, the next few races are about creating a situation where I feel I can contribute, and if that place for 2024 is not here, we will have to look around for other alternatives.”

Despite his reference in that comment to next season, it is almost certain Perez meant 2025 given his following remark.

“Right now, my main focus is to be here, to win more races, to continue winning championships with Red Bull,” he said. “I have a contract until next year and sometime next year we will sit down and talk.”

Following the weekend’s Italian GP, in which Perez finished second to Verstappen, he was arguably the happiest he had been for a while with his feeling from the car.

“We’ve made a lot of progress on the set-up side, which is a positive thing,” said Perez. “Very good set of directions, and then some work with the suspension as well.

“I am feeling a lot more comfortable in the car, so I do expect that we will see the best form in the next races. I think we are going to have a good end to the year.”

So what are the options for Perez?

There will be seats available in 2025, notably at Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin, a team he knows well given its former Force India/Racing Point guise, and with whom he served for seven seasons.

But it is hard to see any of those teams make a move for a driver who will be 35 when that year comes around, and who will also be viewed as having had his chance at Red Bull, only to leave as ‘damaged goods’ given his remarks above about Verstappen.

It is highly likely Ferrari will agree on new terms with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, and Oscar Piastri is seen by McLaren as a future champion, so it is unthinkable at this stage the Australian will not be retained.

It is possible there will be an opening at Aston Martin if Fernando Alonso feels he has given his all for the initial two years he signed up for, but would the Silverstone-based organisation really want Perez back?

He was solid and dependable, but certainly no replacement for Alonso, as aside from this, owner Lawrence Stroll has made it clear that alongside his son Lance, he only wants a top driver in the other car.

Would Perez, then, be willing to ‘do a Bottas’ and trade a race-winning car for one on the fringes of the points, as Valtteri did once he was ousted by Mercedes by opting to drive for Alfa Romeo?

That seems inconceivable, particularly when you reflect on his comments from earlier this year when he said: “With a family at home in Mexico, I wouldn’t be doing this (driving for Red Bull) if I did not believe I could win the world championship.”

With a fourth child on the way, it seems that unless he does agree on a new deal with Red Bull, then next year will be his last as he moves into retirement.