As Daniel Ricciardo waits in the background, Sergio Perez receives the Red Bull “ultimatum.”

Sergio Perez won two of the first four Grand Prix races in 2023 but a title challenge never materialised, with the Mexican 109 points behind champion Max Verstappen.

Sergio Perez has just five races to save his Red Bull career after reportedly being handed an ultimatum by Christian Horner.

The Mexican driver, who currently has a deal with the Constructors’ champions through the 2024 season, may be shockingly let go by the end of the year after failing to make a serious title challenge against teammate Max Verstappen. Despite promising to aim for a first championship and winning early in the season in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, the 33-year-old still hasn’t won a championship.

Perez has only managed five podium finishes since then, and his recent performances in Qatar and Japan netted him just one point each. He is now 109 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, who has already been crowned champion for the third straight year, and is battling Lewis Hamilton for second place.

And with reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo on the books, his form has now been deemed unacceptable by Horner and co. Indeed, Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte are reporting Perez has been set stringent performance levels for the remaining races.

He must record a top-two finish in all of the five events left. That includes his home Grand Prix, US races in Austin and Las Vegas, Brazil, and the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Failure to meet expectations could open the door for a return to the grid full-time for Ricciardo, who came on board at Red Bull for 2023 as a reserve driver. He’s currently at their sister team Scuderia AlphaTauri, although the Australian is sidelined with a broken hand.

But the F1 veteran isn’t the only replacement being considered. Two more AlphaTauri drivers, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, are also under consideration with Lawson finishing ninth in just his third race at Singapore last month.

His strained relationship with his Dutch partner, which broke down at the race in Sao Paulo in 2022, undoubtedly added to Perez’s pressure. Verstappen defied team orders to give up a position to Perez and increase his chances of taking second place overall despite having already won the championship.

This year seems to have been affected by the hostility. Jos Verstappen was seen celebrating with the team after his son Max took the checkered flag in Saudi Arabia. .