Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s heart must have sunk as soon as he realised his car was heading towards the gravel trap at Copse during the first session of qualifying.
He was one of the first drivers to attempt to set a lap on soft tyres following the predictably changeable weather at Silverstone and while plenty of other drivers ran wide at that corner – including his teammate Max Verstappen – he was the only one who got beached.
It led to him being eliminated from the session and facing a back row start alongside Pierre Gasly who had already picked up enough grid penalties to know he would be starting 20 regardless of the time he set.
It’s the latest in a growing number of incidents involving the Mexican driver that have made many people within Formula 1 question why Sergio Perez was rewarded with a new contract by Red Bull for next season despite some worrying recent form.
Speaking on the Pit Pass Podcast, journalist Chris Medland has shared what McLaren team principal Zak Brown told him when asked what he would do with Perez if he was Red Bull boss.
The American wouldn’t be drawn into whether or not Red Bull should or shouldn’t drop the 34-year-old, but did explain why he’s currently very important to McLaren.
Lando Norris may be second in the Drivers’ Championship, but he would need a miracle to catch Verstappen before the end of the year.
However, Oscar Piastri’s form far outweighs the Mexican’s giving them hope that they could win the constructor’s title.
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Zak Brown responds to Sergio Perez’s Red Bull future
Dissecting what happened after qualifying, Medland said: “He’s really making life hard for himself and you can hear the frustration growing at Red Bull.
“I did actually put it to Zak Brown at the start of the day before qualifying had even taken place whether he’d consider dropping [Sergio] Perez if he was the Red Bull team principal because he said, Perez’s form is what’s keeping McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship fight.
“And he said, at the form they’re going in at the moment since Miami when McLaren brought their upgrade if they continue on the same path in terms of the points they’re scoring each weekend and Red Bull are scoring each weekend, he says McLaren will win the Constructors’ Championship.
“Red Bull are not immune to that, they’re very much aware and the fact that Perez is performing poorly is starting to frustrate members in the team and Christian Horner is getting more and more vocal with his comments.”
Sergio Perez’s faces uncertain future despite new Red Bull contract
If there’s one team you don’t want to be driving for when you’re going through a tough spell, it’s Red Bull.
There are a handful of drivers currently on the grid – and several who are no longer in Formula 1 – who can go into detail about how cutthroat that organisation is when things aren’t going your way.
Red Bull offered Perez a new deal to take the pressure off the Mexican but it doesn’t seem to have had any impact.
His best finish since the Miami Grand Prix is 7 and once again qualifying appears to be a key issue.
Christian Horner was visibly disappointed after seeing his incident and there’s already talk that Perez could be replaced before the end of the year.
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