Worrying signs for Sergio Perez as Helmut Marko shares update on Red Bull's driver lineup: "A contract doesn’t help if the performance isn’t right”

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko talked about how Sergio Perez needs to start delivering on race weekends. Talking about contracts and performance clauses, Marko also hinted that Checo's seat is in danger.

Sergio Perez was quick in the first half of the 2024 F1 season, securing P2 in the first few races and keeping up with his teammate, Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings. After the Miami GP, however, Checo's on-track pace and his position on the table plummeted.

The Mexican driver barely finished in the top 10 in future races and even retired from the Monaco and Canadian GPs. He scored zero points in the latest British GP, while Verstappen managed to secure P2.

Speaking to "Kleine Zeitung", Helmut Marko hoped that Sergio Perez would improve his performance in the next few races before the summer break. He then hinted that Checo's seat was in danger by talking about how a contract does not protect a driver even after a downfall in performance. He added that every F1 driver's contract has a performance clause that can be activated.

“Let’s see if he can find his form again. A contract doesn’t help if the performance isn’t right. Every Formula 1 contract has certain performance clauses,” Marko said.

Later, Marko talked about Red Bull's junior drivers like Liam Lawson, Ayumu Iwasa, and Isack Hadjar, who are being trained in junior formula categories and are ready for F1.

"I assume that we primarily operate within our existing drivers. We have three juniors ready for Formula 1. Liam Lawson is certainly the top priority in this regard. Behind it is also an Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar," he added [Translated].

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Sergio Perez confident that he will remain in Red Bull regardless of his performance in future races

While Helmut Marko claimed that Sergio Perez's seat could be in danger, the F1 driver strongly believed that he would not be removed from Red Bull based on his upcoming on-track performances.

Speaking to the media, Checo claimed that the next two race weekends will not change anything for his future with Red Bull even if he finished last in the race. He is confident that he will stay in the Austrian team till the end of his recently extended contract.

A Spanish journalist named Tomas Slafer quoted him as saying (via X):

“I don't understand why there is so much talk about me and my future. Nothing is going to change these two weekends, even if I win the race or even if I finish last. I have a contract with the team and I am going to fulfill it.”

Before the Hungarian GP, Sergio Perez stands in sixth place in the drivers' championship table with 118 points. On the other hand, his teammate Max Verstappen leads the table with 255 points.