Sergio Perez insists that Red Bull was close to offering him a new contract. However, Christian Horner denied the Mexican’s comments.
Christian Horner and Sergio Perez (via IMAGO) joined Red Bull in 2021 as partners. The Mexican driver was the first driver to be on equal footing with Verstappen since then. However, the 34-year-old driver had periods of poor performance in the past. Still, Perez was confident in securing a new contract with Red Bull for the upcoming season. Now, he has refuted Checo’s comments.
Horner stated that Milton Keynes was satisfied with their current drivers for now. Therefore, Red Bull was not in a hurry to make a decision about their future pair until the second half of the 2024 season. Previously, Perez hinted that Red Bull was close to extending his contract for the next season.
We are in a situation where we are very happy with our two drivers, but we don’t need to make a decision until later in the year.
The Red Bull team boss highlighted that Max Verstappen had a long-term contract that extended until 2028. Additionally, Christian Horner praised Sergio Perez for driving exceptionally well even with his uncertain future.
Max has a long-term contract, and Checo is without a contract, but driving exceptionally well so far this season.
Carlos Sainz has emerged as the most promising candidate in the driver market for 2025. Sainz has been linked to several teams, including Mercedes and Audi. Red Bull could consider hiring the Spaniard to replace Sergio Perez. However, the team boss believes it would be inappropriate to discuss the details of the agreement.
When discussing the matter, he told the press that it would not be right for Red Bull to comment on Sainz’s negotiations. The 50-year-old man did not explicitly mention that Carlos Sainz was one of the leading candidates to replace Perez.
Audi gave Sainz an ultimatum. However, the 29-year-old driver chose to wait while carefully considering his future prospects. On the other hand, Red Bull apparently showed interest in renewing with Perez, emphasizing that they were considering all options before making a decision.