Sergio Perez has responded to critics questioning whether he’ll be at Red Bull next season, with the Mexican insisting that he doesn’t “read what people say” on social media.
Perez’s future has been one of the biggest talking points recently, following a run of disappointing results in recent races.
With the exception of the Hungarian Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix, Perez has made an error in every race since the Monaco Grand Prix, where he was eliminated in Q1 after crashing at the opening corner.
His inconsistent form has seen his future with Red Bull thrown into doubt, despite team principal Christian Horner having insisted that the Mexican will be kept for 2024, as his contract states.
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Advisor Dr Helmut Marko has suggested otherwise though, with the 80-year-old having admitted that not only do Red Bull have a “plan B” but that nothing in F1 is “certain”.
There are a lot of people who believe Daniel Ricciardo will take Perez’s place next season, should the Mexican continue to make mistakes.
He made two serious errors at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend on the same lap, as he not only crashed at Turn 1 but he then sped in the pit-lane.
Perez received a five-second time penalty as a result, which demoted him from third to fourth at the end of the race.
It’s mistakes like that which are stirring the uncertainty over his future, although Perez insists that he doesn’t read what people say about him and that he knows what he’s “capable of”.
“Obviously, you always want to prove yourself – it’s a game to yourself,” Perez said.
“I haven’t really, to be honest, read what people say or have to say about myself or my career or whatever.
“I know what I’m capable of, I’ve done it before and not that long ago – it was only a few months ago.
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“But people, when they’re not here, it’s very easy for them to speak out and it’s something that is very understandable. It’s how most sports work. But I think as an athlete, it’s important to be able to disconnect from that and make sure that you do what is best for you.
“I don’t follow social media that much, first of all. And secondly, during the break, I was so busy having a good time that I really don’t listen to all of that and I focus on what I have to do.
“There are so many things that I could focus on and be negative to myself [about] and become a victim very easily, but that’s not the way I am. I’ve never been like that.
“I’m just focusing on what I can do best, focusing on enjoying the moment, and that’s [where] all my focus and all my energy [is].”