Questions surrounding Sergio Perez's future at Red Bull are growing louder with each passing day.

Despite a challenging season where he trails his teammate, newly crowned 2024 world champion Max Verstappen, by a staggering 251 points, the Mexican has managed to retain his seat for now.

Perez’s poor performances have not only hurt his own results but have also made it harder, or pretty much impossible, for Red Bull to defend their constructors’ title. 

The team has supported Perez publicly but has also made it clear that he needs to improve. His last chances to prove himself may come at the Qatar Grand Prix and the final race in Abu Dhabi. 

Red Bull and its sister team, RB, are reportedly evaluating several options, including Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto. Although there were rumors during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend that Red Bull's interest in Colapinto might be cooling, Yuki Tsunoda remains another contender, with plans for him to test the RB20 after the season.

Perez hasn’t finished in the top five since the Miami Grand Prix more than six months ago and the last time he stood on the podium was at the Chinese Grand Prix in April. In the last 16 races, he hasn’t broken into the top five and has scored only 27% of Red Bull’s total points.

He once again had a tough weekend in Las Vegas, starting from a disappointing 16th place after his sixth Q1 exit of the season. Despite managing to climb up the order during the race, he only finished 10th, securing a single point. After the race, Pérez attributed his struggles to the car’s performance, once again shifting blame to the machinery when questioned about his future in the team.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, known for being one of Perez’s biggest critics, made a sharp comment about the Mexican after the Las Vegas race.

“We have to have two drivers who finish in the points. Max is more than 200 points ahead of Sergio,” he told DAZN.

“For now, the main thing was to win the championship for Max. But for our employees, it is a disappointment because they will not receive their bonuses, as they depend on our position in the Constructors’ Championship.”

He also hinted that discussions over Perez’s future with the team will be held after the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

"There will be a meeting after Abu Dhabi and the result of this meeting will be presented to the shareholders and they will then decide what the driver situation for both teams will look like for next year," Marko told ORF.

"I don't know the exact gap now, but I think Checo has over 200 points less than Max. And then it's clear that the constructors' title is no longer possible…so if Sergio was anywhere near (Lewis) Hamilton and (George) Russell or Ferrari or even McLaren, then we would be well ahead again."