Something remarkable happened in Formula One land this week and the timing of the event meant no one is available for comment for the next three weeks. It was announced at the Milton Keynes debrief to the entire workforce that Red Bull Racing would be retaining Sergio Perez.
In some ways even more remarkable was the announcement that Daniel Ricciardo would also remain in the V-CARB car, while Liam Lawson is again kept waiting. Dr. Helmut Marko has been ramping up the pressure on the Aussie in recent weeks claiming the Red Bull parent company shareholders want the team to return to blooding young drivers for F1 – code for Daniel Ricciardo has to go.
The 81 year old Austrian was explicit in his views of Ricciardo’s future in Austria when he told Kleine Zeitung prior to the Austrian GP: “The shareholders have made it clear that this is a junior team and we have to operate accordingly”.
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“The goal was that with exceptional performances he [Ricciardo] would be in the frame for Red Bull Racing. That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so that plan is void,” added Marko.
Given Red Bull team boss Christian Horner and Marko have expressed publicly a difference of opinion over driver line ups, this was a blatant offer to trade from the Austrian. ‘Let Lawson in and I’ll leave you with Perez.’
Yet when the big day came on Monday, both Perez and Ricciardo were retained for the foreseeable future and Marko’s promise to get Lawson into a seat during the 2024 season looks to be fading away.
The writing was on the wall for the Mexican driver given Horner had described his form before Belgium as “unsustainable.” This was a shift in the rhetoric from the Red Bull boss who had previously repeated the mantra, ‘the team will support Sergio in finding his return to form.’
Surprising ‘no change’ decision
Marko who has also been a critic of Checo over the years suggested last year that his Latin American culture means he doesn’t work as hard as Verstappen. Further, following the last race before this year’s summer break, the Austrian was scathing over Checo’s dive from P2 to P8 during there race.
“Sergio had the opportunity to take a good result from second place. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case,” said Marko.
“Especially in the last stint, he completely collapsed, where he set 1m48s lap times.”
Yet despite Ricciardo and Perez facing open criticism from their own people, Monday came and went – and no driver change was made by the world champions.
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Dr. Helmut Marko over ruled
F1-insider, which is close to Dr. Marko, is now reporting that the commercial right holder to F1, Liberty Media, leaned on Red Bull to change their decision to ditch Perez. The reason given was the huge commercial gains the sport receives from the Mexican Grand Prix. Clearly this would over rule Marko’s preferences.
Not only do the Mexican fans flock to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez but the crowd at the US GP in Austin Texas has a significant Hispanic contingent. Its a short flight from Mexico to the southern US state.
Yet other interested parties are now said to have been influential in the retention of Sergio Perez by Red Bull. Disney who are part of Checo’s bank of sponsors announced earlier this year they would be broadcasting during August a new Disney+ docu series on Checo Perez.
The title is “Checo Perez: ¡No te rindas, c**rón!” and it will be broadcast exclusively on Disney+ Latin American platforms. As F1 has discovered on more than one occasion, Latin culture is sometimes found blunt and less ‘sensitive’ as she western cultures.
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“Don’t give up mother f***er”
This is clear from a google translation of the docu series title which literally means “Don’t give up, mother f***er.” This is an in depth look at the journey Perez took to reach F1 and remain there for a remarkable fourteen years.
The documentary, “A Story of Street Circuits,” promises to offer an in-depth look into the life of the Mexican pilot, revealing the highs and lows he experienced on his journey to Formula 1.
“Reaching Formula 1 as a Mexican, from where I come from and to where I have gotten, is… crazy,” said Sergio Perez in the trailer. “It’s hard to believe that a 12-year-old kid was thinking about reaching Formula 1. Being Mexican, we didn’t have that sports culture,” Perez said.
This is an important series for Disney as it forms the backbone of their re-launch in the region. Disney Plus will incorporate ESPN and Star Plus into its hybrid offering.
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It’s entirely possible Disney asked Red Bull to sway the knife destined for Checo while they aired the new platform launch in August but come Zandvoort and Monza, if there’s no change in Checo’s fortunes, Red Bull Racing will then make the move to shore up their team title hopes.
Dr. Marko was approached for comment yesterday as he attended an F4 event held at the circuit de Jerez. Over 30 young drivers were on display and the Red Bull consultant was looking for the next hopeful Red Bull junior.
Surprisingly, the Austrian when asked why V-CARBS has not returned to being a junior driver team replied curtly: “Perez remains. We want to bring him back to its old form. Ricciardo also remains. Nothing will change.”
This is a massive change in Marko’s recent position taken where he in effect dismissed Daniel Riccardo’s future with the team out of hand. Whether Disney, Liberty Media or even other interested parties it seems Checo has for now a lifeline, but with McLaren closing in on Red Bull\s lead in the constructors’ title race, the decision has to be for now – and will likely be reviewed.
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Sainz’s decision sets the ball rolling: New rumours about Alpine line-up. Mick Schumacher, currently a reserve driver for Mercedes, has set his sights on a return to Formula One for the 2025 season. His ambitions have been boosted by the recent announcement that Carlos Sainz is to move from Ferrari to Williams, which has opened up potential openings at other teams.
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With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
