Without being absolutely certain that Max Verstappen is not going to swerve and succumb to the courtship of Mercedes, Red Bull has ensured the continuity of Sergio Czech Pérez, whose contract expired at the end of this season and who, with an extension, will wear the jumpsuit of the red buffalo brand until 2026. The 34-year-old Mexican completes his fourth year this year with the energy team, with which he finished runner-up in 2023, and with which he has accumulated five of the six victories that appear in his results account. On the verge of the ninth stop on the calendar, next weekend, in Canada, the runner from Jalisco is fifth in the general table, with one point less than Carlos Sainz, who is fourth. This contract extension, precisely, puts an end to the Spaniard’s aspirations to take over as Red Bull’s second midfielder, who has finally given in to the wishes of the man from Guadalajara. In the tug of war, Pérez pushed to be able to sign for two years, while, at first, the executives of the structure preferred to do it for only one.
“I am delighted to stay at Red Bull to continue our journey together, and contribute to the great history of this team for two more years. Being part of this team is an immense challenge, and that is why I love it,” says Pérez, in the statement that the team sent this Tuesday afternoon. “We are very happy to continue working with Checo. Continuity and stability are important for the team, and both he and Max are a solid and successful partnership, which last year gave us the possibility of adding our first double in the championship,” congratulated Christian Horner, the director of the Milton Keynes troop (Great Britain).
This renewal implies that the North American driver will race, at least for one season (2026), with the new generation of single-seaters, the result of the regulations that will enter the scene and that, as expected, may be used again. remix the pieces of a board in which Red Bull has dominated the last two years, and in which it has accumulated the last three titles, all of them signed by Verstappen. In this new stage, the formation of the Austrian company will leave aside Honda engines to incorporate Ford.
Furthermore, this maneuver also resolves one of the unknowns related to the pilot market that still remained open. At this point, and with the prospect of the arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, in Sainz’s place, the Spaniard dreams of the vacancy that the Briton will leave at Mercedes, although the most realistic thing is to think that his next destination will take him to Sauber, the toll it would have to pay to join Audi in 2026, or even Williams.
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