With Sergio Perez having endured a third consecutive below-par weekend, is it finally time for Red Bull to consider their options for 2024?
Perez’s downfall since finishing second at the Miami Grand Prix has been extraordinary, with the Mexican having seen his chances of winning the Drivers’ Championship this season all but disappear.
The 33-year-old could only salvage sixth on Sunday at the Canadian Grand Prix, despite having the best car on the grid.
He was at least able to claim the fastest lap on the final lap to snatch an additional point; however, questions are certainly beginning to be asked about his performances.
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Perez entered this weekend aiming to “reset” his title chances, after finishing 16th in Monaco and fourth in Spain.
Instead of resetting his title chances, Perez has actually worsened them, with Max Verstappen having extended his lead to a comfortable 69 points.
Verstappen stormed to his fourth consecutive win and his sixth of 2023, whilst his victory also resembled Red Bull’s 100th in Formula 1.
If there was ever a race where Perez needed to finish on the rostrum, it was Sunday’s.
Being on the podium for Red Bull’s 100th win celebrations would’ve been the ultimate moment for the Austrians; instead, he was behind Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and both Ferrari drivers.
To add to his woes, Perez is getting himself into a position where he needs to start looking behind him rather than ahead of him in the championship.
Alonso and Hamilton are rapidly reducing their deficit to Checo, who boasts just a nine-point lead over the Aston Martin driver.
Something which was particularly fascinating on Sunday, was that Perez seemingly struggled to progress through the field, something he in the past has done with ease.
Fighting through the pack has traditionally been one of Perez’s biggest strengths, as proven only recently at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.
Given how he failed to progress any higher than P6, it signifies how important qualifying in the top 10 is for him, a target he has failed to meet since Miami.
Perez failed to make Q3 for the third consecutive Grand Prix on Saturday, an embarrassing situation he simply can’t find himself in again.
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Whilst Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has stressed that Perez’s contract until the end of 2024 will be honoured, discussions will surely be held if his current period of bad form goes on much longer.
The upcoming Austrian Grand Prix is now a massive event for Perez to avoid unwanted speculation over his future, given that it’s Red Bull’s home race.
A strong weekend at the Red Bull Ring will see rumours over his Red Bull future quieten; however, another bad weekend might even result in the Milton Keynes-based team themselves start to ask questions over whether Checo is the right driver going into 2024 and beyond.