Unfortunately, the entire weekend was a struggle for Perez, who had to try and recover from a disappointing qualifying when he was eliminated in Q1. The initial signs were good as he made significant progress on the opening lap, but a penalty for being out of position on the grid was the first step in his race unravelling.
After damage picked up in contact with Liam Lawson, and an unsuccessful attempt to take the fastest lap off Charles Leclerc, he was last of the classified finishers.
READ MORE: ‘There comes a point in time that difficult decisions have to be made’ – Horner on Perez’s future as Red Bull lose ground
Team Principal Christian Horner refused to confirm Perez would see out the season on Sunday night, describing Mexico as “a horrible weekend” for him and adding, “there comes a point in time that difficult decisions have to be made”.
There might only be three race weekends left after this one but Red Bull have made decisive calls before. Perez can ensure talk of potential replacement – at least this year – quietens down with a competitive result at Interlagos.
Haas are flying
While Perez might be struggling, a former team mate of his is part of a team that is in excellent form. Nico Hulkenberg partnered Perez for a number of seasons at Force India, but now at Haas he is enjoying an extremely productive final year before his move to Sauber/Audi in 2025.
