Perez’s tenure at Red Bull has appeared uncertain since midway through the 2022 season, with Max Verstappen’s dominance contrasting sharply with Perez’s declining form.
Despite the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo in 2023, Perez’s strong performance in Bahrain suggests that he still meets the team’s expectations.
In a notable departure, Perez hinted for the first time that the decision to leave might be his own rather than the team’s. “I think it’s early to say that,” he told Sky Sports when asked about his intentions for 2025. “I want to wait a few races to see how everything goes.
It’s not easy. [The seat] has some complications that we’ve seen in the past. We’ve seen great drivers, they don’t even survive six months or a year, and they’ve been great drivers, but it’s a unique team in that regard.”
Naomi Schiff, who interviewed the 34-year-old, sensed a degree of confidence in Perez’s demeanor. “I felt that he was reasonably confident,” she remarked.
“I think the last part of last season was really tough on Checo, a lot of that by his own doing, but the surrounding criticism, the scrutiny, the pressure, it just seems to be quite a lot.
It feels like he has taken a step back since the winter to think about everything that happened, try to understand how he could perform better, but being teammates with Max Verstappen has already proven to multiple drivers to be an incredibly difficult thing.”
Karun Chandhok speculated on a potential shift in Perez’s mindset. “I wonder if there has been acceptance in his head over the winter that I’m not here to win the World Championship for this team. I’m not here to win races, I might win a few, but that’s a bonus,” he mused.
“I’m here to finish second to Max Verstappen, but I guess if I keep doing that, there’ll be the odd day when Max, something doesn’t quite work, and you’ll get the odd win like you did here last year. That’s a difficult mental shift to make, but if he’s done that, it’ll be in a happier place, and a happier Checo will be a better Checo.”
