Photo: @visacashapprb
With Formula 1's mandatory August summer break fast approaching, the driver market is in full swing as the fight for the final spots on the 2025 grid heats up.
One driver who already has his future secured is Sergio Perez, who signed a two-year deal that will keep him at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen until 2026.
In contrast, Daniel Ricciardo remains in F1 limbo, with RB still undecided as to who will partner Yuki Tsunoda for 2025.
Both drivers are entering the twilights of their F1 careers, and although Perez has a contract and Ricciardo doesn't, neither of them can go into the British Grand Prix weekend with zero pressure on their shoulders.
So here's why Silverstone could be a crucial race for both Red Bull veterans.
Perez's patchy run of form began after a crushing defeat to Verstappen in the 2023 Miami GP. The Mexican, who started from pole, finished second behind his teammate, who started ninth.
A run of five Q3 misses followed afterwards, and although he managed to turn the tide, securing runners-up honors in the drivers' championship, Perez only managed to finish on the podium four more times.
With his contract up for renewal at season's end, Perez started 2024 well, finishing on the podium in four of the first five races, albeit without tasting victory.
But, like in 2023, Perez's form took a nosedive, missing out on Q3 three times and having three separate accidents. His Canadian GP weekend was particularly disastrous, failing to make Q2 for the second consecutive weekend before spinning into the barrier on Lap 51, ending his race early.
Despite scoring points in Spain and Austria, Perez has been well adrift of Verstappen potentially costing Red Bull the constructors championship if he cannot help his teammate hold off a resurgent McLaren.
The scale of Perez's struggles is most evident in the drivers' standings. Currently, Verstappen leads the championship with 237 points, while Perez is fifth with 118 points.
Ricciardo was scheduled to test the Red Bull RB19 in a Pirelli tyre test on the Monday after last July's British GP at Silverstone in what was set to be his first taste of F1 machinery for over nine months. Despite a spin, the Australian showcased he had lost none of his speed and set times, which were only a few hundredths off Verstappen's pole time.
AlphaTauri dismissed the underperforming Nyck de Vries while the test was ongoing, opening up a vacant seat at Red Bull's sister team, which Ricciardo was parachuted into from the Hungarian GP onwards.
In his comeback weekend, Ricciardo gave a decent account of himself, finishing 13th after being badly balked at the start. In Belgium, he finished 11th in a wet Sprint but missed out on points in the race itself after having a lap which was good enough to advance into Q2 deleted for track limits breaches.
Then, a crash in FP2 for the Dutch GP put Ricciardo on the sidelines with a broken hand, and handing Red Bull junior Liam Lawson an unlikely F1 birth. Lawson shocked the paddock by not only knocking Verstappen out of qualifying but finishing an impressive ninth at the Singapore GP in what was only his third F1 start.
Ricciardo returned to duty for October's United States GP and put further pressure on Perez by out-qualifying him at the Mexican GP, converting his fourth on the grid to seventh in the race.
RB retained Ricciardo for 2024, and after a sluggish start to the season, the Australian has slowly got his act together, finishing eighth in Canada, ninth in Austria, as well as a surprise fourth in the Sprint at Miami.
More importantly, a podium finish at a track where he has previously struggled at will give Perez's confidence a much-needed boost heading into the summer break.
For Ricciardo, his form may have turned a corner, but with Red Bull seemingly promising Lawson an F1 seat for 2025 to prevent him from moving elsewhere, he simply can't afford to rest on his laurels.
Tsunoda has given Ricciardo stiff competition, and even though he hasn't scored points since May's Monaco GP, the Japanese star is improving all the time. If the much-lauded RB aero upgrades, introduced at June's Spanish GP, work at Silverstone, Tsunoda, and Ricciardo will be right in the fight for points.
In contrast, Daniel Ricciardo remains in F1 limbo, with RB still undecided as to who will partner Yuki Tsunoda for 2025.
Both drivers are entering the twilights of their F1 careers, and although Perez has a contract and Ricciardo doesn't, neither of them can go into the British Grand Prix weekend with zero pressure on their shoulders.
So here's why Silverstone could be a crucial race for both Red Bull veterans.
Perez's barren form puts Red Bull in jeopardy
Since winning the 2023 Azerbaijan GP, Perez has failed to maintain a good level of form or match teammate Verstappen's pace in either qualifying or the race.Perez's patchy run of form began after a crushing defeat to Verstappen in the 2023 Miami GP. The Mexican, who started from pole, finished second behind his teammate, who started ninth.
A run of five Q3 misses followed afterwards, and although he managed to turn the tide, securing runners-up honors in the drivers' championship, Perez only managed to finish on the podium four more times.
With his contract up for renewal at season's end, Perez started 2024 well, finishing on the podium in four of the first five races, albeit without tasting victory.
But, like in 2023, Perez's form took a nosedive, missing out on Q3 three times and having three separate accidents. His Canadian GP weekend was particularly disastrous, failing to make Q2 for the second consecutive weekend before spinning into the barrier on Lap 51, ending his race early.
Despite scoring points in Spain and Austria, Perez has been well adrift of Verstappen potentially costing Red Bull the constructors championship if he cannot help his teammate hold off a resurgent McLaren.
The scale of Perez's struggles is most evident in the drivers' standings. Currently, Verstappen leads the championship with 237 points, while Perez is fifth with 118 points.
Ricciardo on the up as Lawson threat looms large
While Perez's 2023 world title bid was going off the rails, Ricciardo got used to his new role as Red Bull's reserve driver after a tricky two-year stint at McLaren. During his time away from the grid, Ricciardo got reacquainted with Red Bull's simulator and was in the paddock for some races, entertaining team guests.Ricciardo was scheduled to test the Red Bull RB19 in a Pirelli tyre test on the Monday after last July's British GP at Silverstone in what was set to be his first taste of F1 machinery for over nine months. Despite a spin, the Australian showcased he had lost none of his speed and set times, which were only a few hundredths off Verstappen's pole time.
AlphaTauri dismissed the underperforming Nyck de Vries while the test was ongoing, opening up a vacant seat at Red Bull's sister team, which Ricciardo was parachuted into from the Hungarian GP onwards.
In his comeback weekend, Ricciardo gave a decent account of himself, finishing 13th after being badly balked at the start. In Belgium, he finished 11th in a wet Sprint but missed out on points in the race itself after having a lap which was good enough to advance into Q2 deleted for track limits breaches.
Then, a crash in FP2 for the Dutch GP put Ricciardo on the sidelines with a broken hand, and handing Red Bull junior Liam Lawson an unlikely F1 birth. Lawson shocked the paddock by not only knocking Verstappen out of qualifying but finishing an impressive ninth at the Singapore GP in what was only his third F1 start.
Ricciardo returned to duty for October's United States GP and put further pressure on Perez by out-qualifying him at the Mexican GP, converting his fourth on the grid to seventh in the race.
RB retained Ricciardo for 2024, and after a sluggish start to the season, the Australian has slowly got his act together, finishing eighth in Canada, ninth in Austria, as well as a surprise fourth in the Sprint at Miami.
Conclusion: Perez needs a good Silverstone weekend to silence the critics
With Verstappen now under pressure from Lando Norris following a controversial collision at the Austrian GP, Perez has to be on his a-game at Silverstone and qualify inside the top six in order to give his teammate the backup he needs in the race.More importantly, a podium finish at a track where he has previously struggled at will give Perez's confidence a much-needed boost heading into the summer break.
For Ricciardo, his form may have turned a corner, but with Red Bull seemingly promising Lawson an F1 seat for 2025 to prevent him from moving elsewhere, he simply can't afford to rest on his laurels.
Tsunoda has given Ricciardo stiff competition, and even though he hasn't scored points since May's Monaco GP, the Japanese star is improving all the time. If the much-lauded RB aero upgrades, introduced at June's Spanish GP, work at Silverstone, Tsunoda, and Ricciardo will be right in the fight for points.
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