Sergio Perez is calm about the situation at Red Bull for the moment regarding his F1 future in 2022, as Pierre Gasly is waiting but chances slim with AlphaTauri requiring a lead driver.
Perez seems calm about his stay at Red Bull beyond the 2021 F1 season, as the Mexican looks to sort out his future within the summer break, to be ready to announce by the end of the holiday period – maybe at Spa. He feels comfortable with the set-up.
Even though he is still getting to grips with the Red Bull car, he’s already got a win and podiums, with crucial work done behind the scenes at the F1 base. “Obviously, the sooner you know your future the better,” said Perez to written media. “But I’m in a very comfortable position within the team, within my future.
“There is nothing to worry about. I think by Belgium, I will know my future. I’m comfortable with how things are and there’s no reason to look elsewhere,” summed up Perez, who has been praised not only by the Red Bull management, but also Max Verstappen for his valuable contribution in the title fight.
Should Perez stay back at Red Bull, it will leave Gasly at AlphaTauri for another season, with no other seat outside the set-up available at the moment. Even though the Frenchman is itching to get back into the senior F1 outfit, but there’s no room.
He has some hope to be at Red Bull, but it is not a huge one, considering that AlphaTauri wants a leader within their set-up, as the F1 outfit moves away from being dubbed a junior team to become more like a sister outfit in the future.
“I think it’s pretty clear on my end, it’s in Red Bull’s hands,” said Gasly. “Max Verstappen is signed for next year in the top team, Sergio Perez I think has a one-year contract, so we’ll see what happens there and then what we do going forward together.
“I’m obviously contracted with them for some more time and I’m pretty confident we should get some answers at some point in the summer break, or after the summer break. They want a leader in AlphaTauri to really push the team forward and bring this team up.
“I think there is a great working relationship and a real will to push AlphaTauri forward. As a driver, you always want to be in the best car and fighting for the best positions and that’s what we are discussing.
“Ultimately, on my side, I’m only focusing on performing weekend after weekend and race after race and showing my potential. It’s in their hands whether they want me to step up or whether they want to stick with the pair they have.
“It depends on how Sergio is performing and how they are planning the future for AlphaTauri. We are discussing a lot of things and I think generally it’s really positive. It’s always better when there’s communication and when things are going well, but at the moment there is no more answer than that,” summed up Gasly.
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