Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner has insisted that Sergio Perez’s struggles at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix won’t impact his chances of a contract renewal.
Perez entered this campaign under pressure to earn a renewal to his expiring deal amid a tough outing last term that saw him end 290 points behind Max Verstappen.
But while he had sustained a more consistent start to 2024 with three podium results from the opening six races, the Mexican endured a disastrous showing at Imola.
Red Bull’s struggles to unlock an optimal balance during practice culminated with Perez crashing at the Variante Alta chicane in FP3 and he failed to advance into Q3.
Perez then encountered a trip through the gravel during the race as he recovered to eighth place from 11th, 54.7 seconds back from victorious team-mate Verstappen.
However, Horner is optimistic that Perez, who has dropped to third behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the championship, will avoid a spiral like he endured last season.
“I think it’s just a bump,” he stated. “See you in Monaco next weekend and then we leave Europe again. I think it’s a blip. He’s always gone well at Monaco, so we’ll see.”
Horner denied that Perez’s dire weekend came at an unfortunate time with his plans for 2025 unresolved, citing that his race result stemmed from his low start berth.
“It’s a 24-race calendar, so he’s had a great start to the year,” Horner acknowledged.
“His approach has been very strong. He’s changed his approach a bit this year. Today’s result was dictated by yesterday’s qualifying.”
Perez reiterated on the eve of the weekend’s action that he desired to get his future plans sorted as soon as possible to avoid it being a distraction to his performance.
“Still nothing has been signed,” he revealed. “Everything is still open, but I believe very soon.
“We’re getting into a very intense part of the season and I want to get it out of the way.
“I think it’s important that I focus on the racing side. I hope sooner than later everything can be finalised and we can share with you.”
But asked about Perez’s comments post-race, Horner repeated that Red Bull is not in an immediate rush to decide which driver will partner with Verstappen next term.
“I think the whole driver market is playing itself out,” he assessed.
“We know exactly where we’re at and where our options are. In the timing that’s right for us, we’ll make decisions about the future.”
