Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko has insisted Sergio Perez will remain with the team next season and has criticised rumours over performance clauses in his contract. The Mexican rediscovered form at the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix, where he picked up two podium finished, having endured a self-confessed rough patch in the middle of the opening 12 races of the season. Perez's run of five races without a Q3 appearance in F1's dominant car led to questions over his future at Red Bull, all whilst teammate Max Verstappen extended his unbeaten streak to over four months. Speculation over his place alongside the two-time World Champion was intensified when Daniel Ricciardo made his return to the grid in place of Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri for the Hungarian Grand Prix. But Perez has consolidated second in the Drivers' standings with a margin of 40 points over Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, albeit 125 points behind teammate Verstappen.
Made up out of thin air
Reports after the Belgian Grand Prix suggested that a clause in Perez's contract relating to his performance relative to Verstappen would determine a salary drop for next season, but Marko has rubbished the claims. "I don't know where that's coming from again," Marko told F1 Insider . "It's completely made up out of thin air. The contracts are precisely regulated. There will be no salary cuts. "Max is driving in a league of his own. There is therefore no reason to think about measures affecting Perez. He still has a contract with Red Bull for 2024."
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