Did Perez almost not get a new contract after near-crash with Verstappen? Marko responds!

Sergio Perez looks set to retain the second seat at Red Bull Racing in 2025 as well. For a long time there was speculation about a possible replacement, but last week Formu1a.uno came out with the rumour that the Mexican will extend his contract. Helmut Marko has hinted to Formel1.de that Perez would not have been given a new contract.

Daniel Ricciardo, and Carlos Sainz, were both mentioned as potential replacements for Perez. Yet the chances seem high that the six-time race winner may stay in the seat himself. The Mexican has reportedly agreed to a one-season contract extension, as opposed to his earlier demand for a multi-year extension.

Perez has meant a lot to his teammate, Max Verstappen, in recent seasons. Who could forget his defensive actions against Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi in 2021. As a result, the Dutchman became world champion. A few weeks ago, however, things almost went wrong. At the start of the Miami Grand Prix, Perez braked far too late. He very lightly grazed Verstappen's car, but no major crash followed.

Marko therefore argues that it was not a helpful action by the Mexican: "The first corner in Miami, we’ll just forget. But it’s always positive, it’s not that he didn’t avoid the collision. It would have come to a very bad moment I would say. But it went well."