Christian Horner sheds light on Sergio Perez’s contract extension details with Red Bull 

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner explained Sergio Perez's contract extension with the team while considering other drivers for the seat. This comes amid Yuki Tsunoda's contract extension with Racing Bulls for another year, which was announced days after Perez's new contract.

Perez has been racing for Red Bull since the 2021 season. His performance on the track was influential and he continued this form into the 2023 season and finished the championship in second place. Despite his position in the standings, he was a subject of criticism among fans as some of his performances were questionable while being in an extremely dominant car.

After he was offered the recent extension, many doubted the team's decision as they have multiple junior drivers in the circuit who look rather promising. Christian Horner was asked the same question about Yuki Tsunoda's possibility to Red Bull. He said:

"They are all Red Bull drivers. We have decided to extend Checo for one more year, but in the meantime we also wanted to exercise the option of Yuki. He is doing great at RB at the moment. So yes, he will stay for another year ."

He was soon to correct the mistake he made regarding Perez's contract.

"Well, 1+1=2, so it's a two-year contract. As with any contract, there's a lot in it, but that's, of course, between the driver and the team ."

It was earlier reported that Perez was offered only one year's extension but he was reluctant towards just a single year and wanted a seat for at least two.

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Should Red Bull reconsider extending Sergio Perez's contract?

There is no doubt that the 34-year-old is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid and performed well enough to bring Red Bull two world constructor's championship. However, with his latest form, it is tough to say if the Austrian outfit made the best choice

Considering the 2023 F1 season, Max Verstappen scored a total of 575 points, which was more than what any other team scored. Mercedes was the runner-up with 409 points that season, meaning that Verstappen's points alone were enough to bring the team to the championship.

Adding to that fact, Sergio Perez scored a total of 285 points, less than half of what his teammate was able to score. This leaves a slight possibility that a different driver might have been able to extract more potential from the extremely dominant car.

Analyzing Sergio Perez's performance in 2024, Red Bull is seemingly not the fastest car. Perez performed well in the opening rounds of the season, but his performance dropped significantly after China, which was also the round in which Ferrari and McLaren showed improved performance. Moreover, Perez has not made it to Q3 in any of the qualifying sessions since Imola; which is now three races in a row.

He crashed out on the opening lap of the race in Monaco, however, that was labeled as a racing incident by many. In Canada, he was running out of points before crashing into the wall and retiring from the race.

Perez's RB20 after the opening-lap crash in Monaco, 2024 (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

There is only a 49-point gap between Ferrari and Red Bull in the championship. While Verstappen leads the driver's championship, Sergio Perez stands in fifth place.

Red Bull might not particularly be at a loss this season, but it is apparent that Sergio Perez's performance has shown a gradual decline, and signing a two-year contract might not be the best choice given the wide range of junior drivers the team has.