Red Bull given new Sergio Perez replacement options as F1 stars ‘offer to drive for free’
Sergio Perez is fighting for his Red Bull future after an underwhelming 2023 season as qualifying woes and inconsistencies led to undying speculation that the Mexican could be replaced
Christian Horner admitted some Formula 1 drivers are so desperate to replace Sergio Perez that they have offered to drive for free.
The legendary Ayrton Senna once famously offered to drive for Williams for free. And that topic came up as Red Bull team principal Horner spoke to Sky Sports about Perez’s future and the potential other options available to him.
Horner has made no secret of his plan to consider all those options as the Mexican enters the final 12 months of his contract. Perez finished second last year, but did so unconvincingly despite having the quickest car on the grid.
Checo is a very capable racer and being Max’s team-mate is a very tough gig,” said Horner, who has pledged to honour Perez’s current contract but already warned his driver that there is no shortage of capable drivers who would love to race for the top team.
“I think he has shown real mental strength to be able to cope with that. The area he needs to focus on is Saturday – making sure that his average qualifying is a lot closer to Max [Verstappen]. We need him starting further up the grid, particularly if the grid is going to converge. We can’t afford to have a lot of cars between him and Max.
Twenty-twenty-four is a big year. A lot of drivers’ contracts are coming to a close. We’ve got great talent in our own stable. Of course the car is very attractive for other drivers to want to be in.”
And when asked about drivers offering their services to Red Bull for free, he added: “There’s been a little bit of that, but there’s no guarantees of anything. Checo is our driver. If he does well, we’ll want to keep him for 2025, but it’s all about how he performs in relation to his team-mate.”. Catch all the action from Formula One on Sky Sports and get exclusive access to races, qualifying and much more for every Grand Prix. From Max Verstappen to Lewis Hamilton.
