Sergio Perez's dad made prediction about Red Bull star amid F1 retirement claim
Sergio Perez is not ready to retire and could stay in Formula One for another 10 years despite his recent woes, according to his father.
The Mexican driver remains second in the standings, miles behind his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen but 33 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton in third. His position comes courtesy of his two race wins in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan in March and April, but he has struggled in recent Grand Prix.
Perez didn't finish the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday after crashing into Kevin Magnussen in a move the Dane labelled "pretty desperate". The incident came a week on from another one involving Alex Albon in Singapore, which the Williams driver called "f***ing dirty".
With Perez now 33 years old and unable to keep pace with Verstappen, there have been suggestions Red Bull could drop him a year before the end of his contract in 2024. But his father Antonio has previously rejected the notion his son could be considering retirement, or even nearing the end of his career.
"Checo is doing his job excellently and will be in F1 for the next 10 years,” his dad told Marca in April. “After everything he lost to what was found, we have a blessing – Checo no longer had a job two years ago and now there is this new stage that Red Bull has opened for him.
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"Checo is in the eyes of the world. Today he is one of the great ambassadors of any brand worldwide. This is thanks to the support of Red Bull... What he had done before were great achievements but nothing to do with the support of Red Bull. Being in the best team in the world puts you in the eyes of the world."
Sergio Perez has struggled recently (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Sergio Perez lose his seat at Red Bull at the end of the season? Comment below.
Former F1 driver Jan Lammers does not agree with Antonio Perez, hitting out at the Mexican over the weekend. "When you see what Perez is doing with that beautiful car, it's almost criminal," he said.
"I think Perez is really ready for retirement. I mean, how much fun is this for him? What we're seeing is a total lack of drive, motivation, sharpness – everything, really. I think Red Bull could be preparing to put [Liam] Lawson in that seat."
Verstappen has 177 points more than Perez, despite driving the same car, and former F1 driver Damon Hill has suggested Red Bull could be lining up someone who can score more consistently.
"I think the team desperately wants a little bit more of a wingman for Max. They know that Max is almost untouchable,” he said on Sky Sports.
"Do you remember when Michael Schumacher dominated Ferrari and nobody could cope with being number two to Michael? I remember Ross Brawn saying to Eddie Irvine, 'Listen, you can't beat him. You just do the best you can', which is anathema to a racing driver to hear that.”
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