Sergio Perez’s Mexican sponsors are going to great lengths to keep Checo in Red Bull. They would even compensate the team if it doesn’t become champion ‘thanks to Sergio’.
Sergio Perez has been under fire in F1 for a long time. That is not necessarily strange, because that is your fate when you are the teammate of a certain Max Verstappen. Ricciardo (in the final phase), Gasly and Albon can talk about it. Nobody can drive as fast in a car with a tricky tail as our hero Max Emilian.
Decimated
After the aforementioned trio, Perez was allowed to try his luck at Red Bull. At the time, this was a real thing, because the Mexican did not come from Helmut Marko’s mind. He was the first since Mark Webber to be brought in ‘from outside’. In itself a slap in the face for Der Helmut. But also exemplary of how hard Gasly and Albon were decimated by MV1. Even Red Bull understood that pushing another young talent (which they did not have right away) into the meat grinder was of no use to anyone.
Disappointment becomes opportunity…and disappointment again
And so, reportedly also due to Christian Horner’s insistence, they ended up with Perez. He was namely sent packing at Racing Point, precisely after he had finally won his first race in F1. For PER, however, that disappointment became his new big chance.
It seemed like he wouldn’t come at that moment. Checo was always considered a great talent. In GP2 (now F2) he single-handedly destroyed the dream of our Giedo van der Garde. He was supposed to become champion with top team Barwa Addax. Instead, rookie Perez drove our Giedo around the ears. He was inconsistent, but very fast in his best weekends. And that is what the team bosses want to see from the youngsters: pure speed. You can learn the rest.
Or maybe not, we have to conclude after more than 10 years of Perez on the grid. Of course he has proven himself as a great driver. After his first big chance in the sport at McLaren was a disappointment because McLaren failed that year, he regularly made a name for himself by taking podiums for Force India. Just like he did before at Sauber. Hulkenberg is now suddenly seen as a (semi-)topper again. But when the two were teammates, Checo was the man on the podium and Hulkenberg, as we know, was not.
Unfriendly years
The years at Red Bull have not been kind to the (reputation of the ) Mexican. There have been a few more victories. But it is all not consistent enough (which it never was) and now also in comparison to Max, not fast enough. The latter is perhaps even worse than the first. In the meantime, there is a real risk that Red Bull loses the constructors’ title because he scores far fewer points than Max. That will not only cost Red Bull prestige, but also money.
Many are also arguing that Perez is only in his seat because of sponsorship money and merchandise sales. According to a report on motorsport.com, financial backer Carlos Slim is now even prepared to compensate Red Bull for ‘financial damage’ if it loses the title with Perez.
It’s all going a bit too far. If this is true, Perez has almost as much job security as Lance Stroll. However, the report is already being denied. But honestly; we wouldn’t be surprised if it is true. Perez is hugely popular in Mexico. As long as that remains the case, his financial backers will want to keep the party going. Whereof note.
