It has been a year to forget for Sergio Perez so far. After his strong start to the 2024 season, with 4 podiums in 5 races, it has gone only downhill with the Mexican driver. He hasn’t stood on the podium for 11 races, which is his longest streak since he joined Red Bull in 2021. That is why it wasn’t even a surprise when some speculations about his potential mid-season replacement came before the summer break.

However, despite earlier rumors about the possibility of Perez being replaced due to a string of disappointing performances, Verstappen publicly expressed his support for the Mexican driver, highlighting the significance of maintaining stability within the team.

"I’ve always said that it's all about stability and also how we feel in the team," Verstappen told Fox Sports Mexico in a recent interview.

"I think we have other worries than having to think about the second car. For me, that is not on the table."

The Dutchman was clear, about who he wants as a teammate.

"Of course I want Checo to be my team-mate. He's a great guy, we get on really well, plus he's a great racer.

"We’ve luckily stuck to that, and now we're just trying to improve the car together."

Perez still has a valid contract for the 2025 season but it is only up to the Milton-Keynes-based team, if they decide to keep him or replace him with someone from the list of Red Bull/RB names like Liam Lawson, Daniel Ricciardo or Yuki Tsunoda.

However, the main priority for Red Bull at this moment is to fix the issues with the RB20 as soon as possible so they can get back into the Constructor’s Championship battle.