Sergio Pérez fights for his F1 future

Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

The Red Bull driver’s battle to stay in second, and with his team, tops storylines for the United States Grand Prix

Sergio Pérez is fighting for his Formula 1 future.

The second seat at Red Bull has often been described as the “second seat of death,” and Pérez is currently enduring that reality. While he sits in second place in the Drivers’ standings, inconsistent performances and missed opportunities have put his status for the team beyond 2024 into severe doubt.

Those struggles have also opened the door to speculation about whether he would be released by the team heading into 2024, or walk away from the sport altogether. There was a rumor winding through social media last week that Pérez would announce a shocking decision to retire ahead of his home race, the Mexican Grand Prix, later this season.

While both the driver and Red Bull quickly denounced those rumors, the speed with which we went from wondering if Pérez could really challenge Verstappen for a title to debating his potential retirement seems quicker than a lap at Red Bull Ring.

It is unclear exactly what Pérez needs to do — if anything — to quell these rumors and solidify his status with the team. Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko continues to apply pressure on the driver to perform, and has even speculated that a change in scenery could be for the best. But the main thing he can do to solidify his status seems to be holding on to second place in the Drivers’ Championship, and fending off a charge from Lewis Hamilton.

Right now just 30 points separate the two drivers, with Hamilton inching three points closer to Pérez thanks to results in the Sprint race in Qatar.

Should Pérez somehow fall down to third place in the standings, the pressure may become untenable for him at Red Bull.

The battle for second between Mercedes and Ferrari

Pérez’s fight for both second place, and his Red Bull future, is just one big fight shaping up down the stretch.

Another? The fight behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings.

Just 28 points separate Mercedes and Ferrari in this battle, and both teams may look back at the Qatar Grand Prix as a missed opportunity. Mercedes was in a great position to bank a big amount of points in the Grand Prix, with both Hamilton and George Russell starting in the top three and Ferrari down to just one driver when Carlos Sainz Jr. could not race due to a fuel leak.

But an opening-lap crash between the Mercedes team knocked Hamilton out of the race, and sent Russell to the back of the field. That gave Ferrari a chance to make up some ground, only to see Russell fight back through the grid and overtake Charles Leclerc, finishing ahead of him.

That enabled Mercedes to add a few more points to their lead coming out of Doha.

Can either team make a big move in Austin, or will this battle head down to the final stages of the season?

The battle for fourth between Aston Martin and McLaren

When the grid was last stateside, for the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May, Aston Martin were the talk of the field. Their surprise start and strong form had the team sitting in second place in the Constructors’ standings, with 87 points on the young season.

Lingering near the bottom of the table? McLaren, with just 14 points in their account.

My how things have changed since then. Aston Martin returns to the States with 230 points on the year, having scored 143 points since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Now instead of sitting in second place, Aston Martin is fighting to hold on to fourth.

Facing a strong charge from McLaren. After their double-podium finish in Qatar, McLaren sit just 11 points behind Aston Martin, with 219 points on the year. They have picked up 205 points since Azerbaijan, giving them a real shot at catching Aston Martin down the stretch. They have podium finishes in three-straight races, including double podiums in both Qatar and Japan.

Aston Martin has not seen a podium since the Dutch Grand Prix.

The recent run of form from both teams makes it seem like it is just a matter of time before McLaren catches — and passes — Aston Martin.

Logan Sargeant at Williams

Pérez is not the only driver facing an uncertain future. While questions over his status with Red Bull remain focused on 2025, another driver has more immediate concerns. Logan Sargeant has yet to lock in his seat with Williams for the 2024 campaign, and remains the only driver on the grid unsure of his spot for next season.

The Qatar Grand Prix was another difficult race for the rookie driver, as he started at the back of the field in the F1 Sprint race and quickly found the gravel, ending his Sprint after a handful of laps.

Then in the main race, Sargeant was battling flu-like symptoms heading into the race and then — like the rest of the field — struggled in the brutal, extreme conditions before retiring due to dehydration.

Now he heads to the USGP, a home race for the American driver, still searching for his first F1 points.

And a job for next year.

“Logan performed well [in Qatar],” said Williams Team Principal James Vowles in a post-event video report. “Especially given his illness and his weakened immune system, the dehydration he was suffering from. He qualified close to Alex for the main Grand Prix and in the main GP itself,” he pointed out, “Until the dehydration really properly kicked in, he was a matter of seconds behind him. He had less track limits abuse than most of the other cars around him,” he added. “So he was building on that consistency we’ve asked him to work on.”

Still, Vowles and Williams have yet to commit to Sargeant for next season. That has led to speculation that there is perhaps an opportunity for Liam Lawson to slide into that spot, given that he was left on the outside looking in at AlphaTauri next season.

Can Sargeant show that consistency the team is looking for, and solidify his status for 2024? Is there a window where the team looks elsewhere, perhaps to Lawson? Or will Williams perhaps put it all to rest, announcing Sargeant will be back for next season on his home turf?

Haas in their home race

Sargeant is not the only member of the grid coming home this week. As the only “American” team in the field, this is one of three “home races” for Haas.

Can they make a little magic at home?

Haas unveiled some track-specific suits for the USGP last week:

Now we wait to see if they can pair those with some results on the track. They are bringing some upgrades to the VF-23 to Austin, but driver Kevin Magnussen cautioned that the upgrades might not turn things around immediately.

“I’m happy we get this upgrade at the next race and excited about it,” said Magnussen. “It’s really positive for the team to have that to look forward to and get some new tools to play with. Hopefully we can find more performance.

“I don’t think it’s realistic to expect miracles in the first race in Austin. Of course we all wish for that at night when we go to sleep. But realistically, it will take us a race or two to figure it out. I’m just really glad we can leave this behind and move ahead to there.”

F1 in the United States

There is also a big picture storyline to consider.

The status of F1 here in the United States.

Liberty Media has made no secret of their desire to expand the sport in emerging markets, with the United States at the top of the list. Last year saw the addition of the Miami Grand Prix to the schedule, and this season will see the debut of the Las Vegas Grand Prix next month.

There are other aspects to this push, including the presence of Sargeant on the grid, and the potential for Andretti-Cadillac — an “All-American team as described by Michael Andretti” — to join the grid in the future as an 11th team.

But can the growth and expanded interest in F1 stateside be sustained? Getting viewers and eyeballs for the Miami GP in May is one thing, but attracting those same kinds of numbers in the fall is a different story. Will the US market remain interested given the other sports on the calendar (such as a full slate of NFL games, Game 3 of the World Series, the NASCAR playoff race in Miami, and early-season NBA and NHL action)?

While there are intriguing fights throughout the field — such as Pérez fighting for second, the battles for second and fourth in the Constructors’ — will that same market be interested with both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles already locked up?