Sergio Perez contract break ‘not easy’ with ‘heavy commerciality’ involved

Booting Sergio Perez out of Red Bull if he doesn’t want to leave won’t be as easy as Helmut Marko’s “useless” contract claim, says Martin Brundle.

Despite signing a new two-year Red Bull extension back in May, Perez’s place within the team is under threat as his run of races off of the podium extended to 14 at the United States GP.

Could Red Bull drop Sergio Perez at the end of this season?

It’s not only left the Mexican driver facing a huge defeat to Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship, where he’s over 200 points down on the pace-setter, but it’s also cost Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings.

They’ve already lost the lead to McLaren while Ferrari are breathing down their necks in third place, just eight points off the pace.

Marko has made it clear that if Perez doesn’t find some form in the final five races of this season, Red Bull may not honour his latest extension.

He told F1-Insider: “Perez may have a contract, but Formula 1 is a meritocracy. If the performance is not right, even contracts are useless. At the end of the season, we will sit down together and decide who is the best team-mate for Verstappen at Red Bull.”

But booting him out if he doesn’t want to leave is easier said than done, according to Brundle.

More on Sergio Perez’s F1 future

?F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid?

?Christian Horner: Sergio Perez’s ‘terrible season’ admission ‘sums it up perfectly’

“Contracts are in place,” the former F1 driver told Sky F1. “There’s the Contract Recognition Board where they’re all lodged, and you can’t just break them.

“You can agree to go your different ways or whatever. But it’s not easy just saying, ‘Oh yeah, they’ll change him in a heartbeat’, because there are contracts in place, and there’s commerciality, heavy commerciality involved with that as well.

“He’s a perfect foil to Max Verstappen when he’s on form as he was in the first two races, finishing comfortably second. That’s what they need him to do.

“But I don’t think for either Sergio or the team, they could just…it’s the same for Daniel Ricciardo, let’s be honest, there comes a point where it’s just not tenable anymore.

“But let’s see, one decent result and that’ll go away for a few races.”

Perez will chase that one decent result at his home race this weekend, the Mexican Grand Prix.

But down in ninth place in Friday’s practice, slower than the Sauber of Valtteri Bottas, Brundle reckons being at home is just adding to the pressure Perez is already under.

“He does have a lot of home support, I think it’s a lot of home pressure as well,” he said. “But honestly, I don’t think it’s about nationality or where we are.

“Red Bull are under pressure in the championship. He’s under pressure to keep his seat.

“He’s just got to drive it like any other Grand Prix and deliver and be there somewhere near Verstappen’s gearbox.”

Perez has stood defiant in the face of the continued rumours, the latest having claimed he will announce his F1 retirement sometime this weekend in Mexico.

He responded to that with a video clip from The Wolf of Wall Street where Leonardo di Caprio adamantly proclaims “I’m not leaving!”

Read next: Christian Horner calls out ‘armchair specialists’ with Perez engineer under fire