Red Bull has secured Sergio Perez‘s immediate future. The team has given him a massive lifeline by letting him continue for 2024, however, this doesn’t particularly mean the Mexican will complete his 2-year contract. But keeping aside his worries, Perez is ready for the Dutch GP 2024. The much-needed summer break has surely recharged Checo for the rest of the season. He is under pressure to give his best. Meanwhile, there has been a significant change in Perez’s racing squad.

We are quite used to Hugh Bird’s voice on the radio. However, the race engineer is taking a paternity leave. This means Checo will need a new race engineer as long as the ‘new dad’ doesn’t return. So, Red Bull has brought Richard Wood for the task. The Peterborough native has worked for the Austrian team for almost 11 years now. His rise through the various ranks speaks volumes of his prowess in the job.

he team promoted Wood from a member of the Strategy Group to a race support engineer. Perez’s new race engineer was also a simulator performance engineer and has worked alongside Max Verstappen in 2023. Richard Wood is also an alumnus of the University of Strathclyde. While Richard Wood will look over Sergio Perez’s race in Zandvoort, Richard Cooke will fill in for the Performance Engineer’s role for now.

Both Wood and Cooke will have the benefit of Hugh Bird’s expertise for the Dutch GP. They’ll manage the command for Sergio Perez for at least three races starting with Zandvoort. Richard Wood’s stint as a race engineer is expected to end at the Singapore GP, however, it isn’t confirmed yet. Moreover, the team is giving Hugh Bird a considerable number of breaks as parental leave, which is commendable. Meanwhile, the speculations on Checo’s future continue.

Sergio Perez’s two-year contract completion will depend on the ten remaining races of the 2024 season

It’s most unlikely for Red Bull to let Sergio Perez drive for them from next season onwards. Despite the extended contract, the Mexican’s poor performance has been disappointing. Speculations swirled around Red Bull regarding a potential replacement. Daniel Ricciardo was the forerunner, but then the team kept their faith in Checo Perez. Christian Horner is looking forward to Baku and Singapore where the 34-year-old is a known performer. But will that be enough for him to secure his seat for 2025? It is unknown.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said: “Sergio Perez will also be in the Red Bull Racing car after the summer break because we now have races on the tracks where he was good last year and we are relying on stability.” The team has been saying, that Perez doesn’t have to be the fastest, his consistency will be more than enough to keep them in the Constructor’s title lead.

The second phase of the ‘silly season’ will be extremely crucial not just for Sergio Perez, but also for Red Bull. They’ve not been up to the mark lately, so the next ten races are going to be decisive for the energy drink team. Will Red Bull redeem themselves? What do you think? Share below.