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Perez to stay with Red Bull after summer break

Perez to stay with Red Bull after summer break
© Reuters
Sergio Perez will continue to drive for Red Bull following Formula 1's August summer hiatus.

Sergio Perez will continue to drive for Red Bull following Formula 1's August summer hiatus.

Prior to the Monday meeting in Milton-Keynes involving key decision-makers Dr Helmut Marko and Christian Horner, the optimistic Daniel Ricciardo humorously mentioned that he would leave his "phone on" rather than switching off for an immediate break.

"If you start P2 and finish P8, I think it will be a very boring meeting," former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos told Ziggo Sport on Sunday.

But despite widespread criticism of Perez's recent underwhelming performance, team principal Horner conveyed positive news to the factory staff for the Mexican driver on Monday.

"Checo will remain a Red Bull driver, despite all the recent speculation," he announced, according to De Telegraaf newspaper.

"We are looking forward to seeing him again after the summer break on circuits where he has performed very well in the past."

Horner's reported statements were confirmed by official sources, as noted by London's Times newspaper.

Red Bull's influential F1 consultant Marko emphasized that the main focus of the meeting was technical issues, not solely Perez's immediate future.

Max Verstappen, who has reportedly supported Perez's retention behind the scenes, concurred.

"I think our biggest concern is the car and that's what we need to focus on," said the world championship leader. "I think Checo's weekend was positive."

"And during the race you can see that we still have problems with the tyres and the degradation. I think our main priority should be to see how we can improve that."

Marko, meanwhile, stated that the meeting also addressed Red Bull's driver strategy for 2025 - with Liam Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo set to compete head-to-head at a 'filming day' for the junior team RB at Imola on Wednesday.

"The meeting is about the future," the 81-year-old Austrian is quoted as saying by Viaplay, "and about which drivers we're going to use in 2025."

"We have very good junior drivers. It's not about one driver specifically, but about how we want to proceed in the future in general."

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Daniel Ricciardo in the pit lane during the practice session on June 7, 2024
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