Formula 1: Sergio Perez Casts Doubt on Red Bull Future Amid Ongoing Form Struggle

• Sergio Perez has struggled to match the performances of his teammate, Max Verstappen
• Talks about the Mexican driver’s future have made headlines following his poor form
• Checo recently spoke about his immediate future at Red Bull

Sergio Perez has been far from his finest form during the first 14 races of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

The Mexican driver dubbed by many as the 'ultimate team player', came into the current F1 season with clinching the drivers’ championship as his sole aim.

However, Perez’s impressive start to the season, which saw him trail his teammate Max Verstappen by a single point, dwindled drastically, and the driver currently sits 145 points behind Verstappen after ten races.

The 33-year-old driver's form had become a significant source of concern, and this subsequently degenerated into talks of him being replaced by Lando Norris or Daniel Ricciardo, according to reports from Sports Illustrated.

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Amid his form struggle and what is now a second-half-of-the-season resurgence, 'Checo', as he is fondly called, has spoken about his chances of remaining a driver at the Austrian side beyond the expiration of his current contract in 2024.

Perez on his Red Bull future

Following his impressive drive at the Italian Grand Prix, Perez sat in an interview with media outlet DAZN, in which he spoke about his future at the Milton Keynes team.

“Every year you learn new things and that’s why I like this sport so much. You are learning things all the time. I think the most important thing. Learn from your mistakes.”

The driver further spoke about the need to drive for a more serene team.

“No, with the season we’ve had it’s important to have the next races in an environment where I feel I can contribute. And [if] that place for 2024 is not here and we will have to look for other alternatives.

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“But right now, my main focus is to be here, to win more races, to keep winning championships with Red Bull. I’m under contract until next year and at some point next year we’ll sit down and talk.”

Perez has seen his form rekindle following the return of the sport for the second half of the season, and will look to reduce Verstappen’s lead at the summit of the drivers’ championship.

Verstappen hits out at Hamilton

Sports Brief also reported that the animosity between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen, which stems from the 2021 Formula season, keeps growing following the Mercedes driver’s recent comments on his Red Bull rival.

Hamilton had initially cast doubts over the achievements and records of the Dutch driver in an interview ahead of the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

Verstappen has now responded to the claim of the seven-time champion in the cheekiest of manners.