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Sergio Perez admits not having any kind of clause in his contract if Christian Horner or Helmut Marko were to leave Red Bull Racing. Speaking at the press conference ahead of the 2024 Australian GP, the Mexican driver deflected from answering questions about the clauses in Max Verstappen’s contract.
Amidst the speculated internal power struggles within the Red Bull Racing team, Verstappen was clear that if Marko left the team, he would follow. When Sergio Perez was asked if he had similar clauses in the contract, he claimed he had none. But he also denied having any knowledge of his teammates' contract clauses and preferred not to talk about them.
With much speculation about the Dutchman leaving the team for maybe Mercedes or even Aston Martin, the question arises how it would impact the team. Sergio Perez felt that such a departure would impact the team significantly. He also stated that as far as he was aware, his teammate was committed to Red Bull Racing.
Asked if he had a clause in his contract to leave the team if Horner or Marko left, Sergio Perez replied:
“I don't have that clause. I don't know what clause Max has in his contract. I think it's best you ask him. I think Max, as far as I know, has a contract with the team and is fully committed with the team. The rest, I think it's not for me to comment. It's nothing to do with me. I'm focusing on my decisions, on what I have to do. And I think for us to be talking about other drivers when we don't know any facts, I don't see any point to do so.”
Pressed further if Verstappen’s departure would impact the team, he said:
“I think the team is in a very strong position because, I mean, with the results we're currently having, the harmony that there is in the team, I think to achieve that it just takes a lot of years probably. And right now the dynamics, everyone in the team is working really well together. The whole engineering group is really united. And you can see that on track and how efficient we've been in the last year. So I think I don't see any reason to change it. And it will obviously be a blow for the team if Max were to leave.”
Sergio Perez believes that Max Verstappen is a teammate with very few weaknesses
Sergio Perez believes that Max Verstappen is a teammate who rarely makes errors on the track, making it difficult to compete against him. The Red Bull Racing driver feels maximising his own potential is the only way to drive at a similar level to the reigning champion.
He pointed out that in qualifying trims, the 25-year-old was the only driver able to maximise the ability of the car. Therefore, the one area he wants to improve is his qualifying where the Dutchman has consistently outperformed him on several occasions in the last three seasons.
Asked at the press conference in Melbourne if there was a particular area of performance he has been working on against Verstappen, Sergio Perez replied:
“Just maximizing myself in all the areas. I think Max is a very complete driver that is very strong in qualifying, very strong in the race. Very rarely has weaknesses or makes mistakes. He's driving at a very high level. I think when you look back, even in qualifying, the last two qualifying, he's been the only driver that has been able to maximise his full potential come qualifying."
"So I think just focusing on myself, obviously keeping an eye on what he's doing, how he's getting the maximum out of the car, but at the same time, I think it's just important to focus on myself and get the maximum out of myself. And if I'm able to do that, I know that I'm always going to be very close.”
Despite Verstappen dominating the first two races, Sergio Perez has been able to manage finishing second and not finishing outside the top three. In Saudi Arabia, the qualifying performance showed that the gap between the two had reduced. However, in the race it was down to eight seconds, less than the ten second-plus margin the Dutchman is known to dominate with.
The 34-year-old driver trails his teammate by 15 points in second place in the championship after two races. Out of contract at the end of 2024, consistency and good results could help Sergio Perez retain his seat at Red Bull.
