Sergio Perez has been warned his new two-year contract with Red Bull offers him little guarantee if he fails to return to form.
The message came from former racer and current Channel 4 commentator Billy Monger, who said the Red Bull driver “looks lost” after another disastrous performance at the Canadian Grand Prix, which was won by team-mate Max Verstappen.
Sergio Perez warns his time at Red Bull “will not last long” if things continue as they are
Perez, who has not finished on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April, was looking to bounce back from a nightmare race weekend in Monaco, where he was eliminated in Q1 and then had a heavy collision with a Haas car on the first lap.
Nevertheless, Perez signed a new two-year contract with Red Bull ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix race weekend, but that did nothing to improve his form, as he was eliminated in Q1 again and then crashed out of the race on lap 53.
Furthermore, Monger is concerned about Perez’s future at Red Bull, regardless of the terms of his new contract.
“I mean, he seems kind of in limbo right now,” Monger said of Perez.
“He signed his new contract and his form has completely dropped off, so he needs to take it seriously.”
“He needs to find his confidence again because even though he has a two-year contract at Red Bull, he won’t last long with performances like that.”
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At Red Bull’s request, Perez coasted back into the pit lane after hitting the barriers at Turn 5, in breach of Article 26.10 of the F1 Sporting Regulations, which states that “if a driver experiences significant mechanical trouble he must leave the track as soon as it is safe to do so”.
That added to Perez’s misery by dropping him three places on the grid for the next race in Spain, while Red Bull was fined €25,000.
Speaking to media about his struggles at the Canadian Grand Prix, Perez explained that after damage sustained in contact with Pierre Gasly at the start, the appearance of the dry line made it difficult to make an overtake late in the race, leading to him hitting the barriers and spinning out, ending the overtake.
But Perez will be looking to “regroup” from here, and he stated that he has “no doubt” he can return to the podium-caliber form he was in at the start of the season.
“Gasly’s damage compromised the first half of the race,” Perez said.
“The second half of the race looked like it was going to be a lot better, but then it just stalled out there. There was only one line and I couldn’t pass.”
“And unfortunately, in the end, I came back and made a mistake at Turn 6. It’s one of the most difficult corners and a lot of drivers made mistakes there, but unfortunately I was one of the few who didn’t have control of the car. I made a mistake.”
“I think now is the time to regroup and refocus. It’s a long season and I was feeling good a few races ago so I don’t think I can get back to that level.”
Perez is fifth in the drivers’ championship, 87 points behind team-mate Verstappen at the top of the standings.
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