Liberty Media Reportedly Asked Red Bull To Reconsider Perez's Dismissal

Thursday, 01 August 2024 at 12:08

Reports suggest that Liberty Media (the owner of F1) has played a role in changing Red Bull's mind about replacing Sergio Perez.

Sergio Perez's performance before the summer break wasn't in line with Red Bull's goals. The Mexican driver's best result in the last eight races was P7 (and that's also after starting the race from P2 in Belgium).

Red Bull's lead in the Constructors' Championship is decreasing with every race, as McLaren has a competitive car and a more consistent driver duo.

The Austrian team repeatedly said the situation was critical and that the 34-year-old driver needed to improve immediately. However, that didn't happen.

The team from Milton Keynes then stated they would discuss their driver situation during the summer break, which they did on Monday, July 29th.

Many fans and F1 experts suggested there was no chance Checo would retain his seat in Red Bull despite being unable to improve before the summer break.

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But to the surprise of many, the Austrian team elected to continue with the Mexican Formula One driver even after the summer break.

Some pundits (like Giedo van der Garde) have already expressed surprise at Red Bull's decision. If Perez's performance trend doesn't change, the team will inevitably lose the battle in the Cintructors' Championship.

So why would the team from Milton Keynes choose to retain the 34-year-old? A report from the German publication F1-Insider suggests Liberty Media (owner of F1) got involved in the matter.

The majority of Mexican fans still love and support their hero, Sergio Perez. His potential dismissal could reportedly have a huge impact on the revenue that F1 expects to generate from the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix. F1-Insider wrote:

"What leaked out behind the scenes: Formula 1 rights holder Liberty Media asked Red Bull to reconsider the Perez dismissal. They feared a huge drop in revenue at the Mexican GP on October 27 without national hero Perez."

The 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix is sixth place after the summer break and takes place from October 25th to 27th. Could Red Bull retain Perez only until this race weekend and then elect for change? Only time will tell.