As the cars took to the track in a sweltering Budapest, the pressure is mounting on Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. With his team boss finally admitting his Mexican drivers run of poor form is “unsustainable” Christian Horner is believed to have given Checo this weekend and next to save his drive with the world champion team.

When asked on the media day whether he feared being dropped from the team, Perez replied: “Obviously, I cannot talk about my contract, but it’s nothing related to that. What I said is that the next two races are very important for me.”

This appears to confirm the two race deadline reportedly given to Checo by the team, yet Sergio claimed he will remain in his Red Bull car until the end of the season and bullishly predicts he will be there come next season.

 

 

 

Perez blames tema strategy

Checo appears to believe he’s been unlucky to some degree, though accepts he does bear some responsibility for meagre haul of 15 points in the last six race weekends.

“I haven’t been performing, first of all, at my 100%, with the circumstances of when you put yourself in difficult positions,” he explained. “Obviously we take a lot of responsibility for that, but there has been a lot of circumstances as well, with different sorts of races.

“It’s a little bit of everything when you are in this vicious circle. We had a really strong Friday, but then I messed up in Silverstone in qualifying, so that was down to me,” admitted Checo.

Yet he called out the team strategy for the race as a “throw of the dice” which didn’t work before concluding, “so let’s ride the rollercoaster and hopefully get back on form very soon.”

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Ricciardo targets Perez seat

Daniel Ricciardo is also under pressure given he’s the only one of the four Red Bull drivers without at contract for next season. Further, Dr. Helmut Marko recently suggested the goal to replace Sergio with the Australian had failed and called for academy driver Liam Lawson to be given the RB car drive full time.

Ricciardo is 3-9 down to his team mate in Grand Prix qualifying this year, although he leads the Japanese driver 2-1 in the Sprint. When asked how important his performance in Hungary is for his future, Ricciardo told Racing365, “I am aware that these two weekends are probably the most important of the season,” said Ricciardo.

“If you head into the break with some good momentum and positivity it can help, but whether that means retaining my seat here or maybe something bigger, who knows?”

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Tsunoda says Lawson to RBR would be “weird”

Clearly something bigger can only mean promotion to replace Sergio Perez and Ricciardo appears to be relishing the challenge

“Even if I am not stoked so far on my season as a whole, I can’t look back now. That is done. I have two races to kick some arse and that is where my energy is right now.

“And if I do what I know I can, then maybe good things will happen.”

Following rumours that Red Bull could promote junior Liam Lawson straight alongside Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda described that as just “weird.”

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Perez aware of the pressure

And Sergio is aware there are others like Ricciardo and Tsunoda are gunning for his Red Bull drive admitting this to media assembled in Hungary.

“Well, I think a lot of drivers out there would love to have my seat,” he said. “It’s obvious, you know. It’s one of the top seats and it’s normal for Yuki to want to move up. That’s just part of the nature of the sport.

“I’ve got nothing against it, it’s good to have high ambitions in the sport,” he said encouraging Tsunoda’s confidence.

Dr. Helmut Marko claims Perez’s lack of points will be a cause of upset within the team explaining, “It also brings unrest to the workforce. The bonuses paid to employees are based on their position in the Constructors’ Championship, which is the most important thing for them.”

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RBR could lose constructors’ lead by Austin

Red Bull have a lead in the constructors championship of 71 points, but this compares to a score at the same point last season of 503 to Mercedes 247 – a lead of 256. Also Max Verstappen had raked in 314 points with Sergio in P2 in the title race some 125 points behind his team mate.

While Checo is now 137 points behind Max, the year the improved competition see him down in P6 and with the next two drivers within 8 points of Sergio.

The constructors title is not in Red Bull’s grasp and McLaren have outscored the world champions by 56 points over the past six race weekends. With similar results from now until Austin, Texas, the papaya liveried team cars would be in touching distance of taking the lead in the constructors’ championship.

As well as pointing out how important the team titles race is, Dr. Marko confirmed the rumours that Perez new contract does include exit clauses for poor performance. Its been widely reported the gap to Max Verstappen must be 100 points or less at the summer break, to prevent Red Bull being being within their rights to dismiss Perez. The current gap is 137.

Alpine block Sargeant mid-season replacement

 

 

 

Marko says Perez contract ‘not enough’

“A contract doesn’t help if the performance isn’t right,” Marko stressed. “Every Formula 1 contract has certain performance clauses.”

“Let’s see if he [Perez] can find his form again,” Marko added.

The size of Checo’s task is enormous. If he won in both Hungary and Belgium, he would need Max to score just 12 points across the next two weekends.

If we take out of there equation Verstappen’s failure to finish in Australia, in this season which he claims is more challenging than last, Max two worst race finishes have delivered 18 points with a P6 in Monaco and a P5 after his collision in Austria, with McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Verstappen publicly defends Perez

 

 

 

Flawed new F1 power units say experts

Following the drama that caused the divorce between Renault and Red Bull Racing, the Milton Keynes outfit was facing a future with no power unit supplier at the end of 2018. Ferrari and Mercedes had refused to provide their arch rival but then up stepped Honda themselves having had a tortured time supplying McLaren.

Then in true corporate Honda style, the big wigs back in Japan decided to pull their support for Formula One and once again Red Bull were facing a future without a power unit. This was when the conversation at the energy drinks company to build their own power unit became a reality. Of course Honda then decided to remain in the sport beyond the new power unit regulations in 2026, but the die was cast and Red Bull Powertrains was born.

In parallel to Red Bull’s relationship woes, the FIA were searching for new power unit manufacturers to join Formula One. Porsche appeared to lead the way in the working group and together with Mercedes they pushed for a new F1 power unit based on the V6 turbo hybrids currently in use. As it turned out, Porsche never made it across the line to join the grid but they had won the argument being presented by Red Bull that F1 should return to using V8 internal combustion engines with no hybrid but fully sustainable fuels…. READ MORE