“He is a broken man mentally” was the assessment Sergio Perez got from former F1 driver Johnny Herbert. The Mexican’s P2 to P7 fall at the Belgian GP seemed like the last straw for Red Bull. His mid-season axing seemed inevitable, but the meeting at RBR’s HQ the day after the race surprisingly played out in Perez’s favor. Christian Horner backed his driver and confirmed his stay for 2024, but something seemed fishy, and soon, a conspiracy surfaced.

A report by F1-Insider revealed how F1 owners Liberty Media interfered in this decision. But why will the F1’s owners jump in to defend a struggling driver who is potentially stopping new talent from entering the sport? Commercial value. Fanfare for Sergio Perez in Mexico and Latin America is through the roof. This draws massive crowds to races which, if not for his presence, would suffer like the German GP did after Michael Schumacher’s retirement. But apparently, this was just a load of hogwash.

Red Bull Team Advisor Helmut Marko has broken his silence on why Red Bull retained Perez. “Pérez doesn’t need to get faster, just more consistent,” the Austrian wrote in his column for Speedweek. “And given the alternatives, he is still our best solution,” he added, with Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson being the alternatives. “Reports that his continued commitment is due to Liberty Media’s desire for him to race in Mexico are not true,” Marko further explained, shutting the wild rumors. “They certainly want him to race in his home race, but our choice of driver is not based on Liberty Media’s intentions.”

Despite Red Bull consistently backing Perez, the 34-year-old hasn’t been able to repay their faith. They have pushed deadlines only for him to just show enough performance to keep his F1 career alive. But with McLaren already threatening their constructors’ championship, how long can this rigamarole extend?

David Coulthard believes Sergio Perez’s end is near

F1 is a cut-throat sport. With billions on the lines, the highest possible performance is the bottom line. A driver or team boss delivering anything less than what their competitors can only be shown the door. At the beginning of 2023 and 2024, Sergio Perez’s performances were magical but slowly descended into adequacy. However, Red Bull no longer has miles of advantage like last year, leaving the Guadalajara-born racer with nowhere to hide.

David Coulthard, former Red Bull driver and 13-time Grand Prix winner, believes that Perez’s career is in the final stages. “It’s a tough one, isn’t it? As we’ve said before, and certainly I say it, this isn’t your friends, this is the business of winning. Maybe Checo has just turned the page on really being at the top of his game because time stands still for no man and there’s always a point where the driver starts to sort of trail off.”

The results and statistics favor Coulthard’s stance. Perez stands P7 in the drivers’ standings with 131 points. In stark contrast, his teammate Max Verstappen leads the championship with 277 points to his name. Checo has scored only 47% of what his teammate has. With 2025 predicted to witness an even closer battle between the teams, the Mexican would severely succumb to the pressure. What is your opinion, does Perez deserve the seat he has been hanging on to by a thread? Share in the comments below.