What Do You Do If You’re Checo Perez?
Red Bull has stuck by Perez, but does it benefit Perez to stick with his contract?
There’s a literal interpretation of the Ayrton Senna proverb, “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver,” and then there’s the metaphorical interpretation.
By the end of Turn 1 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, it was clear how Sergio Perez understood the quote.
Bolting off the line at lights out and seeing an opportunity to lead the first laps of his home grand prix at the end of the start/finish straight, Perez went for glory. Instead, he squeezed Charles Leclerc and sent himself spinning in the runoff.
“I took a risk,” Perez said. “I paid a high price for it.”
The precarious timing of the DNF is obvious: Perez’s 39 point lead over Lewis Hamilton for P2 in the Drivers Standings was slashed in half after Hamilton finished second in the grand prix. In need of a competitive weekend after having his place on the Red Bull team repeatedly questioned, Perez failed to deliver.
Checo’s situation was only made worse by the equal and opposite surge in Daniel Ricciardo’s performance. A haul of six points and helping Alpha Tauri leapfrog both Alfa Romeo and Haas in the Constructors Championship is one victory; out-qualifying and out-scoring a Red Bull is another.
I’m not interested in what Red Bull has to say about Perez right now. They have continued to put their collective arm around him, reiterating that his seat is secure for 2024. And Red Bull also lie.
But at 33, with over a decade in the sport, Perez is nearing the end of his F1 career any way you slice it. Red Bull may very well know the expiration date on Perez’s Red Bull contract, but at this point, Perez still has some agency over his career.
With your ass on the line pressure mounting, how do you, Checo Perez, move forward?
In the short term, this may mean taking an honest look at how he wants to drive the last three races of the season. Whether motivated by the delusion of grandeur of standing on the top step of his home podium or having intel that his Red Bull career was already finished, Perez’s first-lap decision to squeeze Leclerc was ultimately the wrong one. Especially in a faster car, Perez could have easily bided his time and worked to overtake the two Ferraris over the course of 71 laps.
Instead of acting as though he has everything or nothing to prove, Perez obviously needs to move forward with a clearer head while driving. He stands by his Turn 1 decision and appears to be carrying confidence into next weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix, which is as much as he can do right now.
But long term, with hopes of keeping a Red Bull seat warm for some — if not any — of 2024 slipping away, Perez still has another choice. He could try to switch teams or bow out of the sport on his own volition.
We’ve seen this happen in the past, and recent rumors of Fernando Alonso moving to Red Bull and Carlos Sainz leaving Ferrari suggest that switching teams is an option for Perez, though likely not a very appealing one.
Rumors have linked Perez with Audi-Sauber, which would give him the opportunity to finish his career where he started it in 2011. But with Alfa Romeo sitting P9 in the Constructors Standings, having remained anonymous all season, a move from mighty Red Bull to a backmarker team isn’t a desirable way to close out a career.
These career changes can present rewards: Alonso returned to F1 in 2021 with Alpine, secured a podium in 2022 and made the leap to Aston Martin, where, for a while, it looked like he could finally bag win No. 33. But Alonso had the advantage of two world championships to his name, making him a desirable driver almost everywhere he goes.
Perez could also look to the man whose Red Bull seat he eventually filled. Ricciardo, feeling the pressure of young teammate Max Verstappen, made a few seat switches only to return to the Red Bull family as an Alpha Tauri driver. Up until about a few months ago, Ricciardo’s circuitous career choices seemed like a failure. And while Ricciardo has had to concede that he’ll likely never win a world championship, he will likely have the peace of finishing his career where he wants to.
Though neither Alonso or Ricciardo have won a race in their more recent career moves, they both have what Perez is lacking: choices. Perez’s career was already destined to fizzle out in the midfield. Now that he’s had the chance to race for a top team, why go back? If Perez abides by a more metaphorical approach to Senna’s aphorism, he’ll take any opportunity to race in F1, albeit even poor ones.
There is one more option for Perez. It’s not glamorous, and it won’t make him a winner, but it seems like the most merciful option for the driver at this point. If Perez decides to make an announcement at the end of the season, saying he wishes to retire, he’ll at least be the one making the choice to end his career, not Red Bull.
On-track debris:
Verstappen now has 10 wins from Leclerc poles. Leclerc has four wins from pole.
Absolutely fascinated with Oscar Piastri’s paddock fashion, which takes the opposite approach to Hamilton’s.
Even more damning for Perez is this stat (courtesy of @jefwun on Twitter): Alex Albon scored 32.9% of Red Bull’s points in 2020. This year, Perez has scored 32.8% of Red Bull’s points. Albon did not have a seat in F1 in 2021.
