Why Sergio Perez will have a new race engineer for the next four F1 races

Sergio Perez will have a new race engineer for the next four F1 races, starting at this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Crash.net has learned.

That is because Perez’s current race engineer, Hugh Bird, will go on paternity leave.

Red Bull performance engineer Richard Wood will temporarily deputise in Bird’s absence across the next four events, with Richard Cooke stepping up into Wood’s role.

Crash.net understands that Bird will be in attendance at Zandvoort to help oversee the transition, before his period of paternity leave begins.

Bird, who has worked with Perez since the Mexican’s arrival at Red Bull in 2021, is set to return to his role at the United States Grand Prix in late October.

Speaking about the switch in Red Bull's pre-race preview, Perez said: “Hugh my Race Engineer is expecting a baby very soon so will be spending some time at home and I wish him and his family the best of luck with their new arrival!

"Woody, my Performance Engineer, will step up in the meantime.

"I know what we can extract from the car in the coming weeks and we will do our best to maximise the second half of 2024."

The change does not come at an ideal time for Perez, whose seat remains vulnerable despite Red Bull’s insistence after the Belgian Grand Prix that he will see out the remainder of the campaign.

Red Bull bosses met on Monday after the race at Spa-Francorchamps to discuss Perez’s future after a string of disappointing performances had led to intense speculation about his position.

Team principal Christian Horner told employees at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes base that Perez would stay on into the second half of the season.

Perez has not finished higher than seventh since the Miami Grand Prix in May and has only managed to score 28 points in the past seven races.

He has subsequently slipped to seventh in the championship - a whopping 146 points behind teammate Max Verstappen.

Perez’s poor form has caused a headache for Red Bull, who have come under increasing pressure in the constructors’ championship with McLaren only 42 points behind the reigning world champions.