Sergio Perez has admitted that the performance drive at Red Bull has taken “everything” from him. The 34-year-old has had a difficult run, scoring just 15 points in the last six weeks of grand prix racing.

The unsatisfactory results have sparked speculation that he may leave Red Bull despite signing a contract extension earlier this year. It is known that there is a clause in Perez’s contract stating that he must be 100 points clear of teammate Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship before the summer break, as well as five positions away in the standings, otherwise he may be eliminated early.

Perez claims he is doing everything he can to distance himself from the noise surrounding his future, which he feels is amplified because he is a Red Bull driver. “It’s hard to block out outside noise,” Perez told the media. “But at the end of the day, I came here to give it my all, give my maximum effort and when I’m here, when I train, when I’m in the simulator, I focus on the important things.

“Finally, the noise, I think is obviously much louder when you’re at Red Bull. But I think that’s the beauty of the challenge. “That’s why I decided to sign and extend my contract with the team because I like this challenge. “It is really difficult, but it requires you to give your best and this is exactly why I want to continue.”

Perez denies there is increased pressure as the F1 summer break approaches
With just two more races to go before the summer break, Perez denied he felt pressure on his shoulders.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “These next two races will give the same points. “Ultimately, we need these points between now and the end of the year. So that doesn’t change anything, these next two races.” Perez insisted after the Formula 1 Grand Prix that the next two races were crucial – but he denied this was due to the deadline to evaluate his performance.

“Obviously I can’t talk about my contract, what I said [after Silverstone] was that the next two races are very important for me. “I want to go on holiday with a good spirit and I think it’s good for my garage side to go on holiday with a good spirit. “I’m not talking about anything else. I am completely focused on completing the task well. I will be here and here again next year and it makes no difference. I’m just completely committed to myself.”