Perez dealt career blow by McLaren driver

Formula 2 and McLaren junior driver Gabriel Bortoleto believes Sergio Perez will not be racing for Red Bull next season, based on his current results. 

It was speculated that Perez could be dropped during the summer break, although Red Bull ended the rumours by confirming that the Mexican driver would continue for at least the remainder of the season. 

Perez did recently sign a new 1+1 year contract keeping him at Red Bull for next season, with an option for the team to extend the deal to 2026; however, Perez has failed to perform for the bulk of the current campaign.

The Red Bull driver has failed to finish in the top five since the Miami Grand Prix and is largely the reason why McLaren has eaten into the team's advantage in the constructors' championship. 

McLaren sit just 42 points behind Red Bull, who are having to rely on Max Verstappen more than ever before. 

Based on Perez's form, Bortoleto does not see the 34-year-old remaining with Red Bull next season.

“I think Perez will be out next year,” Bortoleto told the Brazilian Motorsport.com site. 

“I don’t know if he has a contract but, with the results he’s having, he’s out.”

Bortoleto's McLaren situation

Bortoleto currently sits second in the F2 standings and has recently been linked to Audi, which could see the Brazilian join Nico Hulkenberg at Stake F1 next season in preparation for the German manufacturer's arrival in 2026. 

He does, of course, have a long-term contract with McLaren, who are preparing him for life as an F1 driver. 

One day, Bortoleto hopes that he will compete for the Woking-based team in the top single-seater series.

“I have a contract with McLaren, I’m their junior driver, I have a long-term contract,” he said.

“But I also know that McLaren wants me to succeed and wants to see me in F1. They know that they have two very good drivers and they are preparing me to enter F1. And, one day, to be their driver, because that’s my dream.”

With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both being on long-term deals, it is unlikely that a seat will be free for Bortoleto at McLaren in the near future. 

However, this will not get in the way of an F1 career for the young F2 driver, who would not be blocked by McLaren should he be offered a seat by another team.

“The decision is made by me, as a driver, and I decide where I want to go. I have power over my career," he stressed. 

“McLaren wants to see me succeed, they don’t want to trap me in any situation that doesn’t allow me to thrive in the sport, but obviously they want to keep me under the McLaren umbrella.”