Sergio Perez has committed his future to Red Bull until the end of 2024 Formula One season after signing a new two-year contract.
Perez first joined Red Bull in 2021 after departing Racing Point following a seven-season stint ahead of their rebrand to Aston Martin, with the Mexican proceeding to finish in fourth place last season whilst his teammate – Max Verstappen controversially won the title.
This season saw Perez continue to further improve and he currently sits third in the drivers’ standings following his victory at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday (29 May), which saw him become Mexico’s most successful F1 driver with his third win in the sport.
Speaking about the decision to extend Perez’s contract, Red Bull Team Principal – Christian Horner said: “Since joining Oracle Red Bull Racing, Checo has done a fantastic job.
“Time and again he has proved himself to not only be a magnificent team player but as his level of comfort has grown he has become a real force to be reckoned with at the sharp end of the grid.”
Horner also praised Perez for his progress to further reduce his performance deficit against Verstappen as he added: “This year he has taken another step and the gap to World Champion Max has closed significantly, evidenced by his superb pole position in Jeddah earlier this year and by his wonderful win in Monaco just last weekend.”
Perez’s improved form therefore made Red Bull decide that “holding onto his pace, race craft and experience was a no-brainer and we are delighted that Checo will continue to race for the team until 2024.”
Horner also iterated his belief that Red Bull will have a strong “driver pairing that can bring us the biggest prizes in F1.”
Perez added that he is “extremely happy” to sign a new contract to keep himself in F1 for two more seasons.
Reflecting on his time at Red Bull so far after having been initially thrown an one-season lifeline following the conclusion of 2020 season, Perez said: “I am so proud to be a member of this team and I feel completely at home here now.
“We are working very well together and my relationship with Max, on and off the track, is definitely helping drive us forward even more.
“We have built tremendous momentum as a team and this season is showing that, I am excited to see where that can take us all in the future.”
Perez’s contract extension comes just two months after Verstappen signed a six-year contract extension in March.
Leave a Reply