Sergio Perez's new Red Bull deal is a no-brainer as team ensures future successes

Sergio Perez, 32, has been on a bit of a run of form. Since signing with the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team at the end of 2020, he has proven to be a real asset to the team as they took the fight to Mercedes-AMG in 2021.

And this year, he is showing that the renewed contract that came last year was the right decision.

For Red Bull, though, they needed to find a driver who could, shall we say, replicate Daniel Ricciardo's performance against star-driver Max Verstappen.

Pierre Gasly failed to do so, and Alex Albon didn't fare any better. The team was in a pickle between 2019 and 2020 as they tried to make the best of a trying situation.

But Perez's signing changed the team's fortunes, and they are more than happy with the Mexican's performances in 2022 so far.

In the lead to this year's Monaco Grand Prix, the latest round, Perez and Red Bull agreed on a new deal that will see him race for the Austrian team until the end of 2024.

Speaking to the official F1 website, Perez said that he hopes to be racing in F1 for a while: "I'm still young, well relatively. I'm enjoying my time a lot. I've never had the opportunity before to be with a top team capable of fighting for championships.

"I enjoy working with my group of people in the team. I'm really pleased. I'd like to carry on for a bit more - but not get as old as some of the others!"

Challenging Verstappen

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner knew that Perez is an asset, which is why he needed to be resigned: "For us, holding onto his pace, race craft and experience was a no-brainer and we are delighted that Checo will continue to race for the team until 2024," Horner said following the announcement.

"Time and again, he has proved himself to not only be a magnificent team player,