'Perez won't accept role of second driver in new contract'

According to the latest rumours Red Bull Racing would like to continue with Sergio Perez as their second driver for another year. But the negotiations for a new contract are not going nearly as smoothly as the Austrian team had hoped.

Equal treatment with Verstappen

According to Spanish SoyMotor, F1 insider Mark Hughes says Perez does not want to serve another year as the second driver to Max Verstappen. Perez wants equal treatment, which makes the contract negotiations a lot harder because Red Bull wants a clear number one in the team.

Red Bull is also satisfied with Perez's performance, despite advisor Helmut Marko saying recently that he was not satisfied with Perez. Should Perez decline the offer both he and Red Bull would be in a difficult situation. For the Mexican, there are hardly any seats left where he can get in.

Few options for Red Bull

Red Bull would then have to look for a new second driver. AlphaTauri has Pierre Gasly, who has already had his chance, and Yuki Tsunoda who doesn't seem to be ready for a transfer to the top team. Alexander Albon also seems to have little chance for a second chance in the Red Bull.