Sergio Perez has revealed that he will consider leaving Red Bull in 2024 if he doesn’t feel like he can contribute more to the team’s efforts. The Mexican driver has been way off the pace compared to Max Verstappen so far this season.
The Italian Grand Prix was something of a return to form for Checo, who battled his way from P5 on the grid to overtake George Russell as well as the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, securing a P2 finish within touching distance of his team-mate.
Unfortunately for Perez, highlights have been pretty sparse since the 33-year-old claimed his most recent win at the fourth round of the campaign in Azerbaijan. The Mexican left Baku trailing Verstappen by just a single point, but after 14 races that gap now stands at an insurmountable 145.
Speaking to DAZN ES, Perez explained: “Every year you learn new things and that’s why I like this sport so much. You are learning things all the time. I think the most important thing. Learn from your mistakes.
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“No, with the season we’ve had it’s important to have the next races in an environment where I feel I can contribute. And [if] that place for 2024 is not here and we will have to look for other alternatives.
“But right now, my main focus is to be here, to win more races, to keep winning championships with Red Bull. I’m under contract until next year and at some point next year we’ll sit down and talk.”
Perez’s current Red Bull contract is set to expire at the end of the 2024 season and with Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo all eyeing up a potential switch to the Milton Keynes-based team, it is unlikely that the Guadalajara-born driver will earn a new deal.
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Despite this, Checo will be keen to impress in the second half of the campaign as he looks to prove to midfield teams that he has a future on the grid beyond 2024. The Mexican has been a consistent over-achiever in midfield machinery for the better part of a decade, but his Red Bull stint has damaged his reputation.
Discussing the rest of his season, he said: “Well, I’m looking forward to this second part of the season. Now the goal is to get back on the podium.
“I think the bad times are behind me and now I feel much more comfortable with the car. And I think we’re going to have a good end to the year.”
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