Red Bull is facing a “tough call” regarding its immediate driver line-up amid Sergio Perez's difficult run of form, according to RacingNews365 lead editor Ian Parkes.
Perez endured a challenging event on home soil in Mexico last weekend, suffering a Q1 exit before being involved in on-track incidents that left him to cross the line in 17th.
The 34-year-old's future at the squad beyond the current campaign is in major doubt after Red Bull slipped to third place in the constructors' championship following the race weekend in Mexico.
However, questions have also been raised over the possibility of Perez being dropped before the end of the season, a prospect that wasn't completely squashed by team principal Christian Horner.
Parkes highlighted the fact Red Bull passed on the opportunity to axe Perez earlier in the season.
“Red Bull had the opportunity to make a decision after the Belgian Grand Prix and it decided steadfastly to continue with Checo,” Parkes said on the latest episode of the RacingNews365 podcast.
“Christian made an announcement at the factory in Milton Keynes on the Monday after the Belgian Grand Prix saying Checo will be our driver through to the end of the season.
“Now, if they decide to make a decision at this very late stage, he's going to look very red-faced.”
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Did Perez use Mexico weekend as F1 farewell?
Perez's F1 future has been called into question for some time, having struggled behind the wheel of the RB20 for much of the campaign.
The Mexican scored over half of his points tally in the opening five rounds, with the following 15 races having accounted for just 44 per cent of his championship points.
Parkes suggested that Perez treated the Mexico weekend as a farewell moment as speculation mounts regarding his future.
“I recall his comment when he was interviewed pre-race, he was standing in the stadium section - he turned around and said ’it's moments like these when I look back on my career and I thank all the fans that have supported me'.
“That sounded very much like a farewell speech in my book. Is it a farewell speech [for the fact] that he's going now with four races to go or that this is his final season with Red Bull and most likely in F1?
“It’s going to be a tough call for Helmut [Marko] and Christian to make if they do decide to do yet another driver change.”
You can catch the full podcast here!
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they dissect last weekend's Mexico City GP and look ahead to this weekend's race in São Paulo. Max Verstappen's penalties are a main talking point and whether the punishment from the FIA was too lenient, Ferrari's rise is also discussed.
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