Why Red Bull appears to have chosen to re-sign Perez

Who would have thought immediately after Q1 for Monaco Grand Prix that Red Bull would be about to sign Sergio Perez up for another year?

He was eliminated in the first segment in 18th place, failing to make Q3 for the second straight race, although it should be said that Red Bull had struggled at both Imola and in Monaco. 

But when all is said and done, extending his contract is not that illogical a chance, which is why it appears all but certain that Perez will re-sign for a fifth season. Below, RacingNews365 lists some of the reasons.

A fine second driver

Yes, Perez can often make a mistake and his performances can be peaky,but the bottom line is he has repeatedly proven that he is capable of doing what is expected of him: finishing second. 

That is always to be within striking distance of Max Verstappen, and now that the competition is really closing in, he must up his game to ensure those seconds don't become fourths or fifths regularly.

Sponsor money

Perez is backed by a nice portfolio of Mexican sponsors. Sure, Red Bull is not a poor team, but every bag of pennies ensures that every little helps. 

 Central America is an important market for Red Bull as a company, and in Perez, they have an excellent mobile billboard.

Verstappen and Perez go well together

Red Bull has denied it, but the simple fact of the matter is that it is a team which revolves around Verstappen - who can usually be counted upon to deliver the pole and win.

Tranquility within the team is important and although there have been some frustrations between Verstappen and Perez, they generally get along just fine - with Perez the Valtteri Bottas to Verstappen's Lewis Hamilton.

Stability in shaky times

It should be clear that things are rumbling behind the scenes at Red Bull.

 Who will stay who will all leave (or have to leave)? Adrian Newey already drew his own conclusions.

 In uncertain times about who to stick with, security is a great thing, for Perez, but also for the team itself.

Who else?

Naturally, one can occasionally question Perez's performance. He cannot do what Verstappen can do in the same car, but Hamilton aside, there are not many on the grid who could live with Verstappen as team-mate.

But more importantly, it is all good and well replacing Perez, but who do you replace him with?

Carlos Sainz or Yuki Tsunoda are in favour with Red Bull management, and beyond that, the pool of available drivers seems slim.