Do you remember the beast that Sergio Perez turned into during the 2020 F1 season, especially the race in Bahrain where he went from last on the grid at the end of Lap 1 to winning the race? That race was one of the reasons Red Bull looked outside its pool of drivers and signed him. But recently, his Red Bull seat has been in danger because of underperformance.

However, post the Japanese GP qualifying, the cryptic message hints at a bet with Christian Horner. What is the bet about? Is it contract-related? Let’s see

After the first quarter of the races during the 2023 season, Sergio Perez’s performance dropped significantly to a point where the Mexican wasn’t able to make it to Q3 multiple times in a row. It was even rumored that Daniel Ricciardo was given the AlphaTauri seat to see if he was good enough to replace Checo. 2024 is Sergio Perez’s last year on his current Red Bull contract. The performances this year have improved and Checo finished on the podium in the first two races and was plagued by a floor issue in Australia.

And now, during the Japanese GP qualifying, Perez seemed to have bridged the gap to Max Verstappen even more as he finished the qualifying in P2, just 0.66 seconds behind his teammate. The post-qualifying radio between Horner and Checo hinted at a bet against the Red Bull TP based on the Mexican’s performance in Japan. Seems like both the TP and the driver decided on something in the bet. What can it be? A bottle of Tequila? Maybe a bonus? Or even a new contract? Well, we don’t know and can only make assumptions. 

Christian Horner said, “Something expensive for the moment, mate.” To which Perez replied, “I hope you got the cash with you, mate.” Later during the cooldown lap, Horner again came on the radio and said, “Well done, Checo. That’s your best right here”, to which again Checo hinted at a possible bet and replied, “Now you see how to motivate me.” Horner seemingly gave in and said, “Yeah, I’ve always known that.”

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This back and forth between Horner and Perez for sure points to a pre-qualifying agreement between the duo. There could be a possibility of it being a new contract for Perez, where Horner asked Checo to qualify P2 or get close to Verstappen’s qualifying time, both of which the Mexican was able to do. During the Bahrain GP, Horner was asked about Checo’s future with Red Bull. Let’s see what he had to say.

Christian Horner on Sergio Perez’s Red Bull future: “Got to do enough to earn that seat”

Sergio Perez qualified P5 for the Bahrain GP, made up positions during the race, and finished in P2 behind Max Verstappen. This was a much-improved performance compared to how the second half of 2023 went for Checo. Amid all this, Christian Horner was asked if there is a target given to Checo for him to get a seat at Red Bull next year. Horner suggested there isn’t a target as such but Checo has to earn that seat by bringing home good results. 

Christian Horner after the Bahrain GP said, “There’s no set criteria. He’s got to do enough to earn that seat and, days like today, he’s done exactly what he’s got to deliver.” He then added, “Checo drove an outstanding race as well, coming through the field from fifth on the grid. Fastest lap – I think the back end of the race was exaggerated by the offset of tires that we carried in.”

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Do you think Red Bull will re-sign Checo for the upcoming year, especially now that Max Verstappen exit rumors are surrounding the paddock? Or will the team move forward with a younger driver or prospect like Yuki Tsunoda?