Sergio Perez’s tenure at Red Bull Racing is under the microscope as he enters his fourth season with the team. With the driver market for 2025 heating up, Perez’s performance in 2024 will be pivotal in determining his future in Formula 1.
Despite a challenging season in 2023, his stats show promise when compared to his predecessors at Red Bull.
Between the lines
- Perez has secured two race wins and a total of 780 points for Red Bull, ranking him fifth among the team’s drivers since 2005.
- With 66 race starts, Perez is set to surpass David Coulthard’s record early in the 2024 season, yet trails behind the 100 starts of Daniel Ricciardo.
- Only five Red Bull drivers have won races, with Perez needing just two more victories to equal Ricciardo’s tally.
- Despite a challenging 2023, Perez’s overall performance, including his first career pole positions, showcases his potential to climb the Red Bull ranks.
Go deeper
As the F1 circus gears up for the 2024 season, Sergio Perez finds himself at a career crossroads. With a solid start to his Red Bull career, including two early wins in 2023, Perez showed he could take the fight to the front. However, as the season unfolded, his momentum waned, and teammate Max Verstappen’s dominance left Perez in the shadows.
Perez’s resilience is commendable, having outlasted other Red Bull second-seats like Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon. His experience and tenacity have earned him respect within the team, but the unforgiving nature of F1 means that past achievements can only carry a driver so far. With Ricciardo’s shadow looming as a potential replacement, Perez’s drive in 2024 must be about more than just keeping his seat; it’s about cementing his legacy.
The statistics paint a picture of potential for Perez. His race win tally and podium finishes put him in a good position to ascend Red Bull’s historical rankings. Moreover, his pole positions in Saudi Arabia and Miami indicate that when conditions are right, Perez can deliver top performances.
However, F1 is an ever-evolving beast, with changes in regulations, points systems, and race formats like the Sprint making direct comparisons tricky. Perez’s single Sprint victory in Baku showcases his ability to adapt and excel in new formats, which could be a valuable asset for Red Bull moving forward.
Finally, Perez’s success at specific circuits, such as Baku and Marina Bay, underscores his proficiency on street tracks—a skill that could prove advantageous as the calendar features more of these challenging circuits.
As 2024 unfolds, all eyes will be on Perez. Can he rise to the occasion and secure his place at Red Bull for 2025? Or will the pressure of F1’s cutthroat environment prove too much? Only time, and the lap times, will tell.
