Sergio Perez’s ongoing struggles in Components 1 have left his Purple Bull bosses dealing with a $20 million headache over what it does with him going ahead.
The place as soon as his lack of scoring was not rather more than an annoyance, and solely had an influence on the Mexican’s personal drivers’ championship positions, issues have gotten rather more essential now that McLaren and Ferrari have stepped up.
Purple Bull is shortly dealing with as much as a actuality that, with Perez not delivering the factors hoped for, it now dangers ending third within the constructors’ championship this yr if it doesn’t shortly flip across the pace of its automobile.
Ferrari’s resurgent type, having taken back-to-back wins and double podiums in Austin and Mexico, has helped the Maranello squad be part of McLaren in overtaking early-season frontrunner Purple Bull within the groups’ standings.
McLaren remains to be out in entrance on 566, with Ferrari 29 factors again on 537 – leaving Purple Bull selecting up third place on 512.
Whereas Purple Bull’s hole to these forward of it’s not mathematically insurmountable, with numerous factors nonetheless to play for, the truth is that Purple Bull is barely holding on to the tailcoats of F1’s present two pacesetters – so has little hope of turning the scenario round.
The present automobile performances are additionally why it’s understood that there appears little to achieve in pushing for a driver change earlier than the tip of the season, as a result of no person goes to have the ability to step in and be assured to avoid wasting its plight sufficient proper now.
Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing
Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photographs
Ending up behind McLaren and Ferrari may have main penalties for Purple Bull, as a result of it effectively understands that F1’s prize cash system is predicated fully on constructors’ championship place. So, a 3rd place end to finish the 2024 marketing campaign, versus profitable it as regarded extremely probably within the early section of the marketing campaign, might be a giant monetary blow.
And may it come to the purpose of analysing why precisely – with championship positions price round $10 million every – it has ended up with $20 million lower than it had hoped for, it should take a look at the factors that Perez left begging all through the marketing campaign.
It’s this component that may even actually dictate what Purple Bull does on the subject of deciding who Max Verstappen’s team-mate might be subsequent yr.
Proper now, all indications are that Liam Lawson will get the nod if he continues doing what he’s doing. The New Zealander has proven robust type since returning to the F1 cockpit because the substitute for Daniel Ricciardo from the US Grand Prix.
Though he maybe overstepped the mark of what was anticipated of him by clashing with Perez – after which displaying him the finger – in Mexico final week, what he has additionally proven is that he’s greater than able to get caught in – a attribute that Purple Bull’s chiefs all the time wish to see.
However Purple Bull’s driver determination isn’t so simple as selecting the most effective two candidates it could possibly for the principle staff as a result of it additionally has to think about what goes on at sister squad RB. There isn’t any level shifting all the great drivers to Purple Bull for a constructors’ championship increase, if that then leaves RB with a line-up that drops it down the order.
A Lawson promotion to the highest squad in 2025 may solely actually occur if it was certain that there was one other robust candidate to fit in as team-mate to Yuki Tsunoda.
The apparent subsequent driver in line developing the Purple Bull ranks is Isack Hadjar however, regardless of his robust season in F2, he would nearly actually profit from a yr of testing and improvement work to get himself on top of things with F1 earlier than being thrust into what appears like a super-tight midfield battle for RB.
Liam Lawson, RB F1 Group VCARB 01, Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing RB20
Picture by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
Nonetheless, one other attention-grabbing situation emerged over the Mexico Grand Prix weekend, and that’s of Purple Bull making an attempt to get Franco Colapinto out of Williams’ grasps to fit him in subsequent yr.
The Argentinean has made a giant impression in F1 since Williams drafted him in from the Italian Grand Prix, scoring factors and changing into a fan-favourite.
Purple Bull boss Christian Horner has raved about his performances, being quoted just lately as saying he’s “turning heads” and telling media in Mexico that he wouldn’t be doing his job if he hadn’t made enquiries about his availability.
Sources have steered that there’s one other key curiosity from Purple Bull, and that’s in tapping into the Latin American sponsor market, as curiosity within the area ramps up off the again of Colapinto’s type.
Purple Bull had good knock-on sponsor advantages to having Perez on board, and there appears loads of alternative and curiosity from Argentinean sponsors already, with Williams actually capitalising.
Whereas Williams has mentioned repeatedly it will like nothing greater than seeing Colapinto land a race seat in F1 in 2025, there stay solutions it could nonetheless wish to hold maintain of him as a lot as potential. That implies any race seat for 2025 could be on a mortgage foundation, relatively than letting the teen turn into a free agent.
From Purple Bull’s perspective, nonetheless, this can be a deal breaker, as Marko admitted final weekend that it has little interest in taking somebody on mortgage solely to make them higher for after they return to their authentic staff.
“The issue with him is that he has a long-term contract with Williams,” the Austrian advised the Kleine Zeitung. “[Taking him on loan] isn’t attention-grabbing for any staff. You don’t want to coach a driver for an additional staff.”
It’s a scenario that appears fairly fluid for the time being, and it’s little surprise that Williams staff boss James Vowles hinted at it being fairly delicate when requested about what was happening with Colapinto and RB.
Chatting with F1 TV, Vowles mentioned: “He [Colapinto] has earned his place on the grid, and what we wish to assist with that’s discovering him a spot in that regard.
“What it appears like, I can not inform you for the time being, as a result of A, it’s totally delicate, and B, there’s actually not lots to debate proper now.”
Precisely how issues shake out with Purple Bull’s driver line-up throughout each its groups for 2025 stays unsure for the time being, however one factor is evident: it is not going to settle for a $20 million prize cash drop for the second yr working.
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